EVALUATION POINTS- IMPORTANCE

• Strength- Supporting Evidence:

  • Supporting evidence for interactional synchrony
  • Meltzoff & Moore (1977) observed IS in infants as young as 2 weeks 
  • Increases the validity- real-world application
• Weakness- Testability: (PEET)

  • Research conducted in controlled lab environment (artificial)
  • Baby isn’t in its natural environment- may respond differently 
  • Furthermore- difficult to understand baby’s rationale behind expressions- is it natural?
  • Decreases validity - conclusions drawn simply based on biased interpretations
• Weakness- Opposing Theory:

  • Piaget- true imitation doesn’t develop until near the end of the first year (anything before that = response training)
  • Baby repeats rewarding behaviour- learning through reinforcement (operant conditioning)
  • Therefore this decreases the validity of IS & reciprocity as other theories are more plausible