Reciprocity Flashcards
What is reciprocity?
Reciprocity refers to the back and forth interactions between an infant and their caregiver.
What does reciprocity involve?
Mutual, responsive actions where the infant and the caregiver take turns in their behaviour, such as the infant smiling and the caregiver responding with a smile.
What are alert phases?
In reciprocity, alert phases are times when babies are especially alert and responsive to their caregivers, often making eye contact, smiling, or cooing to get their attention.
What did Feldman and Eidelman (2007) find about alert phases?
That mothers respond to their babies cues correctly about two thirds of the time during these alert phases.
What can the success of interactions during the alert phases depend on?
The caregivers ability to read the babies signals, and factors like stress or fatigue.
What did Finegood et al (2016) find about interactions during the alert phases?
Stress can reduce a mother’s ability to respond effectively to her baby. This shows that successful reciprocity relies not only on the baby’s behavior but also on the caregivers emotional and physical state.
What did Brazelton et al (1975) find about active involvement?
Described the interaction between babies and caregivers as a ‘dance’ where both take turns initiating and responding to each others actions in a coordinated way.
