ao3 - CI interactions

• Strengths of caregiver-infant interactions

  • good validity and reliability
  • practical applications
  • supporting research regarding its importance
• How do research into caregiver-infant interactions show good validity and reliability?

  Observations are filmed in a laboratory

  • highly controlled
  • recordings can be analysed later making behaviours less hard to miss
  • more than 1 observer can record data and establish observations (inter-rater reliability)
  • babies are unaware of observation (behaviour won't change therefore not subject to demand characteristics)
• Give an example of caregiver-infant interactions having practical applications

  Crotwell et al. (2013) found that a 10-minute Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) improved interactional synchrony in 20 low-income mothers and their pre-school children.
• Supporting research

  • Early interactions are important, Isabella et al. (1989) found that achievement of interactional synchrony predicted the development of a good quality attachment.
  • Caregiver-infant interaction is important in development.
• Limitations of CI interactions

  • Low reliability / validity: difficulty interpreting babies' behaviour
  • Limited explanation: doesn't explain its developmental importance
  • Ethical concerns: socially sensitive (gender)
• What is a limitation of simply observing reciprocity and synchrony in babies?

  Observing these behaviors doesn't tell us their developmental purpose, so we can't be sure they are important for a child's development (Feldman, 2012).
• What is a limitation of research into caregiver-infant interactions regarding observing babies?

  It is difficult to interpret a baby’s behavior because their movements are often small or subtle, making it hard to know if actions like a smile or hand twitch have special meaning or are random.
• Why is research into caregiver-infant interaction considered socially sensitive?

  It can be used to argue that returning to work soon after having a baby may harm the baby’s development, raising concerns about the impact of maternal employment on a child’s growth.