Development of attachment

• What is the period of a child's life before speech begins called?

  Infancy
• How does non-verbal communication between caregivers and infants influence attachment?

  The sensitivity to each other's signals deepens the relationship.
• What is reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Responding to the action of another with a similar action
  • Actions of one partner elicit a response from the other partner
• Who conducted research on caregiver-infant interactions in 1973?

  Jaffe et al
• What did Jaffe et al (1973) find about infants and caregivers?

  Infants coordinated their actions with caregivers in a kind of conversation.
• What is interactional synchrony?

  • When two people interact, they tend to mirror each other's facial and body movements
  • Important for the development of parent-infant attachment
• Who suggested that interactional synchrony is an important precursor to later communications?

  Brazelton (1979)
• What was the key study conducted by Meltzoff and Moore in 1977 about?

  Interactional synchrony
• What were the procedures of Meltzoff and Moore's study?

  • Controlled observation of infants shown an adult model displaying gestures
  • Infant responses were videotaped and judged by independent observers
  • Observers noted instances of infant gestures using behavioral categories
• What did Meltzoff and Moore find regarding infant behavior?

  There was an association between infant behavior and that of the adult model.
• What was the reliability score achieved in Meltzoff and Moore's study?

  Higher than 0.92
• What are the conclusions drawn from Meltzoff and Moore's study?

  • Interactional synchrony is important for the development of parent-infant attachment
  • High internal validity and reliability due to controlled conditions
• What are the strengths of the research on caregiver-infant interactions?

  • High internal validity and reliability
  • Independent assessors reduce bias
  • High ecological validity with natural settings
• What are the limitations of the research on caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Difficulty in interpreting subtle infant behaviors
  • Observational methods may not capture developmental importance
  • Potential for bias in caregiver reports
• What did Isabella et al find regarding synchrony and attachment quality?

  High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality attachment.
• What are the stages of attachment proposed by Schaffer and Emerson?


  1. Asocial (0-2 months)
  2. Indiscriminate (2-7 months)
  3. Discriminate (7 months)
  4. Multiple (10 months onwards)
• What is the characteristic of the asocial stage of attachment?

  Infants produce similar responses to all objects.
• What happens during the indiscriminate stage of attachment?

  Infants prefer human company over inanimate objects.
• What is a key characteristic of the discriminate stage of attachment?

  Infants form a specific attachment to one person.
• What occurs during the multiple stage of attachment?

  Infants start to develop attachments with other people like grandparents and siblings.
• What are the strengths of Schaffer and Emerson's study on attachment?

  • Good external validity with natural observations
  • High likelihood of natural behavior due to ordinary activities
• What are the limitations of Schaffer and Emerson's study on attachment?


  • Mother's self-reports may be biased
  • Poor evidence for the asocial stage due to subtle behaviors
  • Issues with generalizability due to cultural context
• What did Grossman find regarding the role of fathers in attachment?

  The quality of a baby's attachment with mothers, but not fathers, was related to their future emotional development.
• What is the distinctive role of fathers in attachment according to Grossman?

  • Involves play and stimulation
  • Focused on emotional development
• What is a limitation of the research on fathers as attachment figures?

  There is conflicting evidence regarding their role in child development.
• What is the real-world application of understanding the role of fathers in attachment?


  • Helps challenge stereotypical views of parenting
  • Provides reassurance to parents about fathers' capabilities