ATTACHMENT caregiver infant interactions

• An attachment is a close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each sees the other as essential for their own emotional security.
• • Proximity (staying physically close to the attachment figure)
  • Separation distress (being upset when an attachment figure leaves)
  • Secure base behaviour (leaving the attachment figure but regularly returning to them while playing
• • babies and their mothers (or other carers) spend a lot of time in intense and pleasurable interaction.
  • Babies have periodic 'alert phases' and signal they are ready for interaction, which mothers respond to around 2/3 of the time (Feldman & Eidelman 2007) 
• • 'synchronised' when they carry out the same action simultaneously. Interactional synchrony can be defined as 'the coordination of micro level behaviour' (Feldman 2007). 
  •  their actions and emotions mirror the other. 
• Meltzoff (1977) (interactional synchrony) at 2 weeks old

  • adult displayed one of three facial expressions or one of three distinctive gestures and the child's response was filmed.  An association was found between the expression/gesture and the action of the child. 
• • Synchrony provides the necessary foundation for the mother and infant connection which can be built upon in subsequent years.  Isabella et al observed 20 mothers and infants together and assessed the degree of Synchrony and the quality of mother-infant attachment.  The researchers found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment
• • From three months reciprocal interaction tends to be increasingly frequent. when each person responds to the other and elicits a response from them. It involves attention to each other's verbal signals & facial expression. 
• Traditional views of childhood have seen the baby in a passive role.  BUT baby takes an active role. Both mother and child can initiate interactions and they appear to take turns on doing so.
• A03: A limitation is that it is hard to know what is happening when observing it 


  studies into mother-infant interactions have shown the same patterns of behaviour (Grater 2003). However, what is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression. (difficult to be sure) was it conscious and deliberate?
• A03: A strength of the research is that it uses well-controlled procedures


  Mother-infant interactions are usually filmed, often from multiple angles. Very fine details of behaviour can be recorded and analysed later. Babies don't know they are being observed, so their behaviour does not change in response to observation. high internal validity, 
• A03: A limitation is research into mother-infant interactions is socially sensitive


  • This is because it suggests that children may be disadvantaged by particular child-rearing practices. 
  • Specifically, mothers who return to work shortly after a child is born to restrict the opportunities for achieving interactional synchrony. 
  • This suggests that mothers should not return to work so soon - this has obvious socially sensitive implications. 
• A03: A strength of this research is its potential value to society


  • 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 infants compared to a control group. 
  •  The findings suggest that research on interactional synchrony could lead to valuable methods for improving and developing mother-infant attachments (particularly in at-risk groups). 
• order(a01): define attachment, 3 ways to recognise attachment. alert phases. interactional synchrony. study: 2 week olds and interactional synchrony (3 facial expressions and gestures) association was found. high synchrony, better attachment (can be built upon) Isabella: 20 mothers, assessed quality (more synchrony showed better quality) reciprocity (3 months, reciprocal interaction is more frequent. involves attention. Baby is active, compared to passive like they traditionally thoight.