Caregiver - infant interactions - Meltoff and Moore

• What is attachment?


  An emotional bond between two people
• What is interactional synchrony?


  Imitation and mirroring what the other person is doing in terms of facial and body movements
• What is reciprocity? 


  Responding to the action of the other person with a similar action (not necessarily mirroring)
• What was the method of M and M? 


  Caregivers of the babies would open their mouth, close their mouth, stick there tongue out and put their tongue away. An observer would watch the tapes twice to see what the babies replied with
• What is inter observation? 


  When two different observers got the same scores when watching the tapes
• What is intra observation?


  When one observer got the same scores both times they watched the tapes
• What is the term used to describe the back-and-forth interaction between caregiver and infant?

  Reciprocity
• What phase indicates when an infant is alert and ready to interact?

  Alert phase
• What does active involvement refer to in caregiver-infant interactions?

  It refers to the active participation of both caregiver and infant in interactions.
• What is the term for the coordinated timing of interactions between caregiver and infant?

  Interactional synchrony
• When does synchrony begin in caregiver-infant interactions?

  Synchrony begins shortly after birth.
• Why is interactional synchrony important for attachment?

  It fosters emotional bonds and communication between caregiver and infant.
• What is a common method used to observe caregiver-infant interactions?

  Filtered observation
• How can the concept of reciprocity be illustrated with an example like Rudy?

  Rudy's responses to his caregiver's actions demonstrate reciprocity.
• What is a challenge in observing babies during research?

  It can be difficult to interpret their subtle cues and behaviors.
• What is the developmental importance of caregiver-infant interactions?

  They are crucial for emotional and social development in infants.
• What are the ethical considerations in caregiver-infant interaction research?

  • Balancing practical value with ethical concerns
  • Assessing social sensitivity of the research
  • Evaluating the overall value of the research
• How should one evaluate the practical value of caregiver-infant interaction research?

  By considering whether the benefits outweigh the ethical concerns.
• What are the key concepts related to caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Reciprocity
  • Alert phase
  • Active involvement
  • Interactional synchrony
• What are the methods used in observing caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Filtered observation
  • Direct observation
  • Video recordings
• What are the applications of research into caregiver-infant interactions?

  • Understanding attachment formation
  • Improving caregiving practices
  • Informing early childhood education
• What are the stages of attachment identified by Schaffer?

  Asocial stage, Indiscriminate attachment, Specific
• What is a strength of Schaffer’s stages of attachment?

  • Good external validity
  • Real-world application
• What is a limitation of the asocial stage in Schaffer’s stages of attachment?

  There is poor evidence for the asocial stage
• What does 'multiple attachments' refer to?

  Having emotional bonds with more than one caregiver
• What are some evaluation points for research into multiple attachments?

  • Strengths: Provides insight into social development
  • Weaknesses: May overlook the importance of primary attachment figures
• What methods did Schaffer and Emerson use in their study?

  A mix of self-report and observation
• How did Schaffer and Emerson observe babies' responses?

  They noted how the babies responded to their presence, including stranger anxiety
• In what way was the study a naturalistic observation?

  It took place in the babies' natural environment
• In what way could this study be described as an overt observation?

  Participants were aware they were being observed
• In what way could this study be described as a participant observation?

  The researchers interacted with the participants during the study
• How could data on separation anxiety collected from mothers challenge the validity of the study?

  Mothers may provide biased or inaccurate reports
• What is a study tip for evaluating research findings?

  • Close evaluations with a summary sentence
  • Use phrases like "This means that" or "This shows that"