Caregiver Interactions

Cards (22)

  • What is attachment defined as?
    An emotional relationship seeking closeness
  • How is attachment characterized according to the markscheme definition?
    As a strong, enduring, emotional bond
  • What are caregiver-infant interactions?
    Meaningful social interactions between babies and carers
  • What is believed about caregiver-infant interactions?
    They are important for social development
  • What are 'alert phases' in infants?
    Periods when babies signal readiness for interaction
  • How often do mothers respond to infant alertness?
    About two-thirds of the time
  • What happens to caregiver-infant interactions around three months?
    They become more frequent and attentive
  • What is interactional synchrony?
    Simultaneous actions to sustain communication
  • What did Meltzoff and Moore (1977) study?
    Interactional synchrony in infants as young as two weeks
  • What was the method used by Meltzoff and Moore in their study?
    Filming infants' responses to adult expressions
  • What did Isabella et al. (1989) find about synchrony?
    High synchrony linked to better attachment quality
  • What is reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions?
    A mutual interaction where both respond
  • How have traditional views of childhood depicted infants?
    As passive receivers of care from adults
  • How did Brazleton et al. (1975) describe caregiver-infant interaction?
    As a 'dance' of mutual responses
  • What did Jaffe et al. (1973) suggest about infants and caregivers?
    Infants coordinate actions like a conversation
  • What is a limitation of observing infant interactions?
    Uncertainty about the infant's perspective
  • What do controlled observations capture in mother-infant interactions?
    Fine details of behavior for analysis
  • Why is the controlled observation method a strength?
    It ensures valid behavior recording without bias
  • What does Feldman (2012) say about synchrony and reciprocity?
    They describe behaviors but not their purpose
  • What did Tronick et al. (1979) find in their study?
    Babies become distressed without reciprocal responses
  • What are the key functions of caregiver-infant interactions?
    • Important for social development
    • Development of caregiver-infant attachment
    • Facilitate emotional bonding
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of observational research in caregiver-infant interactions?
    Strengths:
    • Well-controlled procedures
    • High validity due to natural behavior

    Weaknesses:
    • Uncertainty about infant's perspective
    • Limited understanding of purpose behind behaviors