Caregiver infant interactions

• Attachment


  A 2 way emotional bond between 2 individuals in which each individual sees the other as important for their emotional security. Leads to certain behaviours such as: Proximity, separation anxiety, secure-based behaviour
• Proximity


  Staying physically close to their attachment figure.
• Separation anxiety


  Shows high levels of anxiety when an attachment figure has left
• Secure-base behaviour

  Returning to the attachment figure on a regular basis
• What does attachment begin with?

  Interaction
• Types of caregiver-infant interactions

  • Reciprocity
  • Interactional synchrony
• Reciprocity


  When both caregiver and infant respond to each others signals and each elicit a response from each other. Known as turn-taking.
• Reciprocity- Alert phases

  • Babies have alert phases which signals they are ready for interaction. Around 2/3 of the time, mothers can pick these signals up (Feldman and Eidelman)
  • From 3 months interactions between baby and carer become frequent and involves paying close attention to each others verbal signals and facial expressions.
  • Effective back and fourth interactions allows the development of a healthy attachment.
• Reciprocity- Active involvement

  • Traditional views of childhood have portrayed babies in a passive role, receiving care from an adult
  • However it seems that babies and the caregivers take an active role
  • Both caregiver and infant can initiate interactions and take turns in doing so.
  • Brazelton et al, described the interaction as a dance because the caregivers and infant respond to each other
• Interactional synchrony


  Caregiver and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of each other and do this in a co-ordinated way (synchronised).

  Caregivers and baby interact in such a way that their actions and emotions mirror each other.
• Research support- Interactional synchrony

  • Meltzoff and Moore
  • Observed the beginnings of interactional synchrony in infants as young as 2 weeks old
  • Adults displayed 3 facial expressions and one hand gesture and the infants reaction was filmed and labelled by independent observers
  • There was a correlation between the adult behaviour and infant response.
  • The study suggests that interactional synchrony is an innate interaction.
• Research support- Interactional synchrony

  • Isabella et al
  • Assessed the degree of synchrony in 30 infants and their mothers
  • They also assessed the quality of the mother-infant attachment
  • They found higher levels of synchrony was associated with better quality attachments
  • Results suggests that interactional synchrony is important as it predicts the quality of attachment.
• Useful filmed interactions

  • For example, there are control of variables, any activity that might distract a baby is controlled.
  • Furthermore, using films means observations can be recorded and analysed later. It is unlikely the researchers will miss seeing key behaviours. As well as this, more than one observer can record data and establish inter-rater reliability. Due to babies not knowing they are being observed, their behaviour does not change in response to the observation
  • Therefore the researchers surrounding caregiver-infant interactions has high reliability and validity.
• Problems associated with testing infant behaviour

  • For example, infants display behaviours like tongue sticking out, yawning and smiling quite frequently and are in constant motion.
  • It is difficult to distinguish between general activity and specific-imitated behaviour. As infants cannot vocalise themselves, it is hard to understand behaviour from their perspective. Observer bias can influence the research whereby researchers may interpret the behaviour to support their findings.
  • Internal validity decreases
• Socially sensitive research

  • For example, the researcher could suggests that children may be disadvantaged by particular child-rearing practices. In particular mothers who return to work shortly after the child is born which restricts the opportunity to achieve interactional synchrony Isabella et al found this to be the most important for the development of mother-infant attachment.
  • encourages the view that a women’s place is at the home, could make mothers feel guilty for wanting to return to work. Research should be careful when implying that people should make particular lifestyle choices.