Stages Of Attachment Peel Flashcards
Evidence for reciprocity
Compelling evidence comes from Papousek et all
Found that parents in china, america and germany all used a rising tone to show an infant that it was their turn in the interaction
As evidence was shown cross culturally it suggests that a shared sense of timing may be an innate ability to aid the formation of attachments
Evidence for interactional synchrony
Strong evidence comes from Melzoff and Moore
Who found that infants aged 2-3 weeks mimicked three adult facial expressions and one hand movement (as assessed by independent observers)
This suggests that imitation may be an innate ability to aid the formation of attachments
IS
Evidence to support from Isabella et al (1989)
They observed 30 mothers and their babies to assess the degree of synchrony and quality of attachment between them
They found that high levels of synchrony were associated with a better quality mother - infant attachment
Strength of research into infant-caregiver interactions
Research uses well-controlled procedures
This is because interactions between infants and their caregivers are usually filmed, meaning very fine details of their behaviour can be recorded and analysed later
Also babies don’t know they are being observed, so their behaviour doesn’t change in response to observation
This is a strength of this line of research because it means the studies are high in validity
Strength of r ic
Research is potentially valuable to society
The identification of interactional synchrony
Limit 1
Hard to know what is happening when observing infants
Limit 2
Socially sensitive
As it suggests that children may be disadvantaged by certain child-rearing practices. Specifically, mothers who return to work shortly after a child is born restrict the opportunities for achieving interactional synchrony which isabella et al (1989) has shown to be important
