caregiver interactions

• What is attachment in the context of caregiver-infant interaction?

  A close two-way emotional bond between two individuals
• How long does it typically take for attachment to develop?

  It takes a few months to develop
• What is reciprocity in caregiver-infant interaction?

  When each person responds to the other and gets a response from them
• What are alert phases in infants?

  Times when babies are ready for social interaction, signalled through eye contact or noises
• At what age do interactions between caregivers and infants become more frequent?

  At 3 months
• How did Brazelton et al (1975) describe caregiver-infant interaction?

  As a dance where each person responds to the other's moves
• What percentage of the time do mothers pick up on their baby's alertness according to research?

  Around two thirds of the time
• What factors can affect a mother's ability to pick up on her baby's alertness?

  Mother and external factors such as stress
• What is interactional synchrony?

  The temporal co-ordination of micro-level social behaviour
• When does interactional synchrony begin according to Meltzoff and Moore?

  As young as 2 weeks old
• What did Isabella et al find regarding synchrony and mother-infant attachments?

  High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachments
• What are the strengths of research on caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Filmed observations allow for well-controlled procedures
  • Analysis of fine details of behavior
  • Multiple observers can establish inter-rater reliability
• What are the weaknesses of research on caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Difficulty in observing deliberate imitations by babies
  • Cannot determine the special meaning of behaviors
  • Observational research does not explain the purpose of behaviors
  • Research may be socially sensitive regarding maternal employment
• What practical application does research on caregiver-infant interactions have?

  It can improve parenting skills training
• What did Crotwell et al (2013) find regarding Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)?

  It improved interactional synchrony in low-income mothers and their preschool children
• Why is the research on caregiver-infant interactions considered socially sensitive?

  It could argue that early maternal employment risks damage to a baby's development