Caregiver-infant Interactions in Humans

Question 1

Caregiver

Answer 1

Any person who provides care for a child

Question 2

Infant

Answer 2

Refers to a child’s first year of life some psychologist include the second year

Question 3

Caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 3

Refers to the communication between a caregiver and infant

Question 4

Why are caregiver-infant interactions important?

Answer 4

For the child’s social development and form the basis of the attachment between the two

Question 5

Reciprocity

Answer 5

A caregiver-infant interaction which is a two-way mutual process where they respond to each others signals(turn-taking)

Question 6

What is an example of Reciprocity

Answer 6

The baby points and the dad looks at what the baby points at

Question 7

In reciprocity as the infant signals are regular what happens?

Answer 7

Enables the caregiver to anticipate the infants’ behaviour and respond appropriately. This sensitivity lays the foundation for later attachment. Occurs at around 3months old

Question 8

What experiment supports reciprocity?

Answer 8

Cohn and Tronick ‘still face’ experiment

Question 9

What was the aim to Cohn ‘Still face’ experiment?

Answer 9

To investigate whether young infants can show signs of reciprocity

Question 10

What was the procedure of Cohn ‘still face’ experiment?

Answer 10

Mothers were asked to play with their child for 2 minutes then show a still face for 1-2 minutes unless the child has severe distress.

Question 11

What were the results of Cohn ‘still face’ experiment?

Answer 11

The children tried to get the mothers attention by pointing and babbling, when they couldn’t they cried

Question 12

What was the conclusion from Cohn ‘still face’ experiment?

Answer 12

Children were used to a two-way interaction taking place and therefore the child is trying to show reciprocity

Question 13

Interactional synchrony

Answer 13

A caregiver and infant reflect actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated way. Mirroring each other in facial and body movements

Question 14

Why is interactional synchrony important?

Answer 14

The development of mother-infant attachments. Isabella et al found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality of mother-infant attachment.

Question 15

What experiment supports interactional synchrony?

Answer 15

Meltzoff and Moore imitation of manual gestures by human neonates.

Question 16

What was the aim of Meltzoff and Moore experiment?

Answer 16

To investigate whether infants show signs of interactional synchrony

Question 17

What was the procedure of Meltzoff and Moore experiment?

Answer 17

Male researcher pulled faces at infants such as yawning and sticking tongue out, the infants responses were recorded.

Question 18

What were the results of Meltzoff and Moore experiment?

Answer 18

They found that children as young as 2/3 weeks old could copy the researcher.

Question 19

What was the conclusion of Meltzoff and Moore experiment?

Answer 19

Interactional synchrony is present in children from a young age and is used as a way of interacting with adults.