Case studies

• What did Meltzoff and Moore do in 1977?

  1. Babies as young as 2-3 weeks old mimicked hand and facial gestures
  2. The study used an adult model, displaying one of three facial expressions or hand movements
  3. A dummy was placed in the infants mouth during the initial display to prevent any response
  4. The dummy was then removed and the child's expression was filmed
  5. They found that there was an association between the infant behaviour and that of the adult model
• What is Isabella et al (1989)?

  1. Observed 30 mothers and infants together and assess the degree of synchrony
  2. The researchers also assessed the quality of mother-infant attachment
  3. They found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality infant-mother attachment (the emotional intensity of the relationship)