Chapter 3.1 - Caregiver-infant interactions

Question 1

What is reciprocity?

Answer 1

A description of how two people interact. Caregiver-infant interaction is reciprocal in that both caregiver and baby respond to each other’s signals and each elicits a response from the other

Question 2

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 2

When the caregiver and baby reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a co-ordinated way

Question 3

What is an attachment?

Answer 3

A close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security

Question 4

What are the behaviours that are a result of attachment?

Answer 4

1. Proximity - people try to stay physically close to their attachment figure
2. Separation anxiety - people show signs of anxiety when an attachment figure leaves their presence
3. Secure-base behaviour - even when independent of our attachment figures, we tend to make regular contact with them, for example babies regularly return to their attachment figure while playing

Question 5

What are alert phases?

Answer 5

When babies signal that they are ready for interaction, e.g. making eye contact
- mothers pick up the signals 2/3s of the time
- varies according to the skill of the mother and external factors such as stress

Question 6

What is active involvement?

Answer 6

Babies do not have a passive role in receiving care from an adult but both have an active role, they initiate interactions and take turns in doing so

Question 7

Why is interactional synchrony important?

Answer 7

It is significant in the development of caregiver-infant attachment
- Synchrony begins as young as two weeks
- Isabella : High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-baby attachment, the emotional intensity of the relationship

Question 8

What is an advantage of research on caregiver-infant interactions? (filmed observations)

Answer 8

• Confounding variables which may distract the babies can be controlled
• Observations can be recorded and analysed later using films and so is unlikely to miss key behaviours
• Establish inter-rater reliability
• Covert and so no change in behaviour
• Good reliability and validity

Question 9

What is a limitation of research on caregiver-infant interactions? (difficulty observing babies)

Answer 9

• Young babies lack coordination and most of their body is immobile
• Observed movements are hard to distinguish from other movements such as smiling or passing wind
• Difficult to determine what is taking place from the baby’s perspective, may not have any meaning

Question 10

What is a further limitation of research on caregiver-infant interactions? (developmental importance)

Answer 10

• Interactional synchrony and reciprocity are names of observable caregiver and baby behaviours
• Not useful as it doesn’t tell us the purpose or importance of these behaviours for a child’s development

Question 11

What is the counterpoint of research on caregiver-infant interactions? (developmental importance)

Answer 11

• Evidence from other research suggests that early interactions are important e.g. interactional synchrony predicted the development of a good quality attachment
• Caregiver-infant interaction is probably important in development

Question 12

What is a further evaluation of research on caregiver-infant interactions? (practical value versus ethics)

Answer 12

• Practical applications in parenting skills training
• Socially sensitive as when a mother returns to work soon after having a baby, it’s development is at risk