Caregiver-infant interactions

Question 1

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 1

moving bodies in time with carers spoken language-form of turn taking
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) infants as young as 2-3 weeks imitated facial expressions and hand gestures

Question 2

What is reciprocity?

Answer 2

coordination of actions

infants move their bodies to the rhythm of the caregivers spoken language-form of turn taking

Question 3

A03-problems with testing infants’ behaviour

Answer 3

• difficult to distinguish imitated behaviours because babies mouths are in constant motion and tongue sticking out, smiling and yawning are frequent behaviours
• meltzoff and more filmed infants behaviours and got an observer that could not see the caregivers behaviours to judge the infants behaviour
• increased internal validity

Question 4

A03-failure to replicate

Answer 4

• Koepke failed to replicate the findings of the study

- Meltzoff and Moore argued that it was due to their study being less carefully controlled