caregiver infant interactions

• Attachment is defined as a close 2-way emotional bond between 2 individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for emotional security
• reciprocity is the 2 way interaction between caregiver and infant, in which they respond to each other’s signals to sustain interaction
• interactional synchrony is when the infant and caregiver are in synchrony with each other, reflecting each other’s actions and emotions
• the purpose of interactional synchrony and reciprocity is to help the child to develop secure attachments with caregiver
• meltzoff and Moore observed babies as young as 2 weeks attempted to mirror their caregivers expressions (interactional synchrony evidence)
• Brazleton found that children as young as 2 weeks attempted to copy & communicate with caregivers (reciprocity evidence)
• Strengths of caregiver infant interactions - Controlled Conditions and Reliability:

  The studies on reciprocity and interactional synchrony maintain high control and replicability. Conducted in controlled environments with infants unaware of observation, they minimize demand characteristics, ensuring behaviors are genuine.