Caregiver - instant interactions

Question 1

What is the definition of attachment

Answer 1

Attachment is a strong, enduring , emotional and reciprocal bond between two people
(especially an infant and caregiver)

Question 2

What behaviours indicate that and attachment has been formed

who came up with it

Answer 2

Maccoby,1980
- Proximity seeking
- Separation anxiety
- secure base behaviour (will explore when the caregiver is present/sense of safety)

Question 3

What is a caregiver

Answer 3

Any person who is providing free care for the child (parent, grandparent)

Question 4

What is interactional synchrony

Answer 4

Caregiver and the child mirror what the other is doing in terms of facial expressions, movement etc
At the same time

Question 5

What is reciprocity

Answer 5

Responding to the action of another person with a similar action.

Actions from one person will elicit a response in another. Not at the same time
e.g. A mum talking to her baby and the baby smiling

Question 6

What is caregiverese

Answer 6

Adults who interact using a modified form of vocal language that is high pitched
Aids communication between carer and infant

Question 7

What is the research into reciprocity and why did the researcher say it is important

Answer 7

Brazelton (1979) - still face experiment
. Where a mother stopped interacting/using reciprocity with her baby by having a straight face causing it distress etc
. Early reciprocity is essential and important for the babies later communication and development

Question 8

What is the research into interactional synchrony

Answer 8

Meltzoff and Moore - They videoed 12-21 day old babies as they watched an adult doing 3 different facial expressions.
- The child’s response was filmed and identified by independent observers
- Shown that the beginnings of interactional synchrony in babies as young as 2 weeks old

Question 9

How would you evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 9

• Usually filmed in a laboratory
• practical issues
• Does not tell us its developmental importance

Question 10

How would you evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions
( usually filmed in a laboratory)

Answer 10

• High internal validity and can establish cause and effect due to it being a controlled setting
• Usually videotaped allowing researchers to re-watch the footage and analyse using micro-sequencing
• Baby’s cannot show demand characteristics

This all allows high reliability and it is standardised giving it more scientific credibility

Question 11

How would you evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions (practice issues)

Answer 11

• Babies have unpredictable sleeping (new born babies sleep 14-17hrs a day) and eating schedules. This means the researchers must work around these factors and can make data collection inconsistent
• Babies also cannot follow instructions or provide verbal communication so their behaviour is relied on observations which can cause misinterpretation

Question 11

How would you evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions
(developmental importance)

Answer 11

• How do we know if it is coincidence or not
• Difficult to asses intentionality
• Babies have limited ways of expressing themselves and smiling, pointing etc may not be intentional responses to their caregiver but rather coincidental movements
• Researchers must draw inferences producing an element of bias