Introduction to Attachment

• Attachment


  A close two way emotional bond between individuals in which each individuals sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
• Reciprocity


  How two people interact
• Mother-infant interaction


  • Reciprocal as the infant and mother respond to each others signals and each elicit a response from the other
  • Helps facilitate an attachment
• Babies forming attachments with mothers and fathers

  1. Babies have alert phases and signal they are ready for interaction

  2. From 3+ months interaction tends to be more frequent involving close attention to each others verb signals and facial expression
• Brazelton et al: 'Interaction described as a dance because each parterre resounds ti the others moves'
• Interactional synchrony


  • Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and so this is a co-ordinated way
  • It takes place in such a way where the infant and mother mirror their actions in some way
• Meltzoff and Moore (1977) study


  1. Adult displayed one of three facial expressions/distinctive gestures

  2. The Childs response was filmed

  3. Results: An association between the expression of the gesture the baby adult has displayed and the action of the baby