Intro to attachment/Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Question 1

What is attachment?

Answer 1

• A two way emotional relationship in which people depend on each other for their sense of security
• A strong and reciprocal relationship between two people
• A long-enduring, emotionally meaningful tie to a particular individual

Question 2

Attachment behaviours

Answer 2

• Seeking proximity
• Distress if separated
• Secure base behaviour

Question 3

Seeking proximity

Answer 3

Wanting to be near each other.

Question 4

Distress if separated

Answer 4

Both the infant and caregiver feel distressed when separated.

Question 5

Secure base behaviour

Answer 5

• Babies regularly return to their attachment figure while playing.
• Their general orientation is towards the caregiver (eye contact).
• They show pleasure in reunion.

Question 6

Meltzoff & Moore Observational research - procedure

Answer 6

• Controlled observation
• 4 different stimuli ( 3 different faces, 1 hand gesture.)
• Observer watches video tapes (real time, slo mo, frame by frame if needed).
• Video judged by Independent observers, no knowledge of what infant saw.
• Asked to note all cases of Infant tongue protrusions and read movements using 4 behavioural categories.
• Each observer scored tapes twice.

Question 7

Alert phases

Answer 7

• Babies and their mothers/carers spend a lot of time in intense pleasurable interaction.
• Babies have periodic alert phases and signal they are ready for interaction - mothers respond 2/3s of the time.

Question 8

Reciprocity

Answer 8

• One person responds to another.
• This happens when the baby is active.
• Both mother and child can initiate interactions and they appear to take turns doing so.

Question 9

Brazleton et al (Reciprocity)

Answer 9

• From 3 months, reciprocal interaction tends to be increasingly frequent.
• Involves close attention to each other’s verbal signals and facial expression.
• B et al described this interaction as a ‘dance’ - each respond to the others move.

Question 10

Interactional synchrony.

Answer 10

• Synchronised when they carry out the same action simultaneously.
• The coordination of micro-level behaviour.
• Actions and emotions mirror each other.
• Important for development of attachment.
• Synchrony provides the necessary foundation for the mother and infant connection which can be built upon in subsequent years.

Question 11

Meltzoff and Moore - findings

Answer 11

• They observed the beginnings of interactional synchrony in infants as young as two weeks old.
• Found and association between the expression/gesture and the action of the child.

Question 12

Isabella et al

Answer 12

• Observed 20 mothers and infants together and assessed the degree of synchrony and the quality of mother-infant attachment.
• The researchers found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment e.g. the emotional intensity of the relationship.

Question 13

Evaluation of caregiver-infant interactions - controlled procedures.

Answer 13

Strength.
Mother-infant interactions are usually filmed, often from multiple angles. Very fine details of behaviour can be recorded and analysed later. Also babies don’t know they are being observed so behaviour does not change in response to observation.
Strength of this line of research because the studies have good validity.

Question 14

Evaluation of caregiver-infant interactions - limitation.

Answer 14

Limitation - it is hard to know what is happening when observing infants. Many studies into mother-infant interactions have shown the same patterns of behaviour (Gratier, 2003).
However, what is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression. It is difficult to be sure, based on these observations, what is taking place from the infant’s perspective. For example, is the infants imitation of adult signals conscious and deliberate? This means we cannot be certain that behaviours seen in mother-infant interactions have a special meaning.

Question 15

Evaluation of caregiver-infant interactions - Issue/debate

Answer 15

A limitation is research into mother-infant interaction is socially sensitive. This is because it suggests that children may be disadvantaged by particular child-rearing practices. Specifically, mothers who return to work shortly after a child is born restrict the opportunities for achieving interactional synchrony. This suggests that mothers should not return to work so soon - this obviously has socially sensitive implications.