Caregiver-Infant Relationships

Question 1

Reciprocity

Answer 1

Each person responds to the other and elicits a response from them. For example, a caregiver might respond to their baby’s smile by saying something which elicits a response from the baby. This is turn taking.

Question 2

Supporting Research for Reciprocity

Answer 2

Feldman & Eidelman 2007 - Mothers pick up on and respond to baby’s alert phrases 2/3 of the time.
Finegold et al 2016 - This ability varies according to the skill of the mother and external factors like stress.
Feldman 2007 - From 3 months interaction tends to become increasingly frequent and involves both mother and baby paying close attention where each partner responds to other persons move.
Brazelton et al 1975 - Both caregiver and baby initiate interactions and prepare to take turns meaning they both have active roles.

Question 3

Interactional Synchrony

Answer 3

When carry out same action simultaneously. Interactional synchrony can be defined as the temporal coordination of micro level social behaviour. It takes place when caregiver and baby interact in such a way that actions and emotions mirror each other. (Feldman 2007).

Question 4

Supporting Research for Interactional Synchrony

Answer 4

Meltzoff and Moore 1977 - observed beginnings in babies as young as two weeks. Adult displayed one of three facial expression and babies response was filmed and found more likely to mirror adults expressions than chance would predict.
Isabella et al 1989 - observed mothers and babies and assessed degree of synchrony and the quality of attachment and found high levels of synchrony were associated with a better quality attachment.

Question 5

Weakness (S)

Answer 5

Difficult to test.
Hard to tell difference between general behaviour and actual interaction e.g. sticking out tongue.
Means subjective, so unreliable.
However… typically in lab experiment so can test interrater reliability.

Question 6

Weakness (R)

Answer 6

Failed to replicate.
Koope et al (1983) failed to produce same results in a replication of Meltzoff and Moore’s study.
Unreliable.

Question 7

Weakness (I)

Answer 7

Doesn’t tell us developmental importance.
Feldman (2012) points out is all they do is give names to patterns.
May not be useful in understanding a child’s behaviour.
However… Isabella et al (1989) found the higher degree of synchrony the better quality attachment so helps us understand how attachments are formed and they have huge impact on behaviour.