Interactional Synchrony

• Interactional synchrony

  Two people are synchronised when they carry out the same action at the same time. Fellman defined interactional synchrony as the temporal co-ordination of micro-level social behaviour. It takes place when caregiver and baby interact in such a way that their actions & emotions mirror each other.
• Synchrony begins-Meltzoff & Moore observed the beginnings of interactional

  synchrony in babies as young as 2 weeks. An adult displayed 1 of 5 facial expressions / distinctive gestures. The baby's response was filmed & labelled by independent observers. Babies' expressions & gestures were more likely to mirror those of the adults more than chance would predict - there was a significant association.
• Importance for attachment - is believed that interactional synchrony is important for the development of caregiver infant attachment. Isabella observed 30 mothers and babies together and assessed the degree of synchrony. The researchers also assessed the quality of mother-baby attachment. They found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother— baby attachment - the emotional intensity