Caregiver Interactions

• 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