caregiver-infant interactions: ATTACHMENTS

Question 1

Interactional synchrony

Answer 1

Baby and caregivers actions mirror each other

Question 2

Reciprocity

Answer 2

Emotional connection developed. Each person responds to the other, provoking a response from them

Question 3

What four characteristics of attachment did Maccoby (1980) find?

Answer 3

• had separation anxiety
• seek proximity
• use mother as secure base
• both feel pleasure when reunited

Question 4

What are fathers general role as caregivers

Grossman (2002)

Answer 4

Provide good quality of play with infants

Question 5

what are the 4 different stages of attachment and what time frame did they occur in. Schaffer + Emmerson (findings)

Answer 5

1) Asocial - no difference between object and human (0-2 mths)
2) Indiscriminate- prefer people over object. no strang anxt (2-7mths)
3) Specific- attachment to one caregiver (7mths +)
4) Multiple - attachment to multiple (1yr +)

Question 6

Procedure of Schaffer and Emerson study on attachment

Answer 6

• Longitudinal study
• 31M 29F babies 60 babies
• all working class from Glasgow
• Asked Parents questions in their home once a month for first year of lives and then once at 18 months

Question 7

Aim of Meltzoff and Moore’s study (1977)

Answer 7

To investigate reciprocity between infants and their caregivers

Question 8

Procedure of Meltzoff and Moore’s study (1977)

Answer 8

• Controlled observations using 18 babies
• babies Exposed to 4 different stimuli
  a) 3 facial gestures e.g: sticking tongue out
  b) One manual gesture: wiggling fingers
• babies reactions to stimuli recorded
• One observer who hadn’t seen what baby whitnessed
• One observer who had
• Both watch tapes twice

Question 9

Findings of Meltzoff and Moore’s study (1977)

Answer 9

Babies aged 12-27 days could imitate both facial expressions and manual gestures

Question 10

Aims of Evans and Porters study

Answer 10

To investigate whether reciprocity and interactional synchrony impact attachment quality

Question 11

Procedure of Evans and Porters study on attachment effects

Answer 11

-Studied 101 infants and their mothers for first year after birth
-53F 48M
-All from American suburb
-Mothers + babies invited to lab when baby was 6, 9 and 12mths
-Provided with toys in observation room
instructed to play as normal for 5 mins
-Videoed
- at 12 months, Strange situation was used to assess attachment

Question 12

Findings of Evans and Porter study

Answer 12

Secure attached babies ( according to strange situation) had most reciprocal interactions and most interactional synchrony

:. These are extremely important

Question 13

What did Schaffer and Emmerson Find about the Role of the mother and father in their study on stages of attachment

Conclude

Answer 13

• Majority of babies attached to mothers first
• a few weeks after, secondary attachments formed (include father)
• 75% Attached to father by 18 months
• Main attachment tended to be to person who was most interactive and sensitive to needs

:. Overall, mothers more important
Father important after 18 mths

Question 14

Aim of Grossman 2002 study on attachment effects

Answer 14

To find how important father s are and whether they have a distinct role

Question 15

Procedure of Grossman study

Answer 15

• longitudinal
• Research both parents’ behaviours and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachment in their teens

Question 16

Findings of Grossman study 2002

Answer 16

• Mothers Attachment related to children’s adolescent attachments
• quality of fathers play linked to quality of adolescent attachments

Question 17

Field

Procedure + Findings

Answer 17

Filmed 4 month old babies in ftf reactions with primary caregiver mothers, secondary fathers and primary fathers

Found primary caregiver fathers (and mothers) spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies. Compared to secondary caregiver fathers.
Fathers can be the more nurturing attachment figure

Key to attachment is level of responsiveness, not the gender