caregiver-infant interactions and the role of the father

• • attachment is a two-way emotional bond where each individual sees the other as important for emotional security.
  • this leads to attachment behaviours:

  1. PROXIMITY - staying physically close.
  2. SEPARATION ANXIETY -high levels of anxiety when figure leaves.
  3. SECURE-BASE - return on a regular basis.
• caregiver-infant interactions are meaningful social interactions between babies and caregivers, helping to develop attachment.

  there are 2 kinds of interaction:

  1. reciprocity
  2. interactional synchrony
• RECIPROCITY

  • caregiver & infant respond to eachother's signals and elicit a response, called turn-taking.
  • from 3 months, interactions become frequent and involves paying close attention to eachother's verbal and facial expressions.
  • effective and healthy interactions are needed for healthy attachment.
  • ALERT PHASES: signals that they are ready for attachment, mothers can pick up on these around 2/3 of the time.
• INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY:

  • caregiver & infant reflect both actions and emotions and do this in a co-rodinated way (synchronised).
  • interact in such a way that their actions and emotions mirror eachother.
  • MELTZOFF AND MOORE:
  • observed beginnings of interactional synchrony in infants as young as 2 weeks
  • adults displayed 3 facial expressions & one hand gesture.
  • reaction is filmed and labelled.
  • correlation between adult behaviour and infant response.
  • suggests interactional synchrony is innate.
• RECIPROCITY - ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT:

  • traditional views of childhood have portrayed babies in a passive role, recieving care from an adult.
  • however, it seems that babies and caregivers take an active role.
  • both caregiver & infant can initiate interactions.
• INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY - ISABELLA ET AL

  • assessed the degree of synchrony in 30 infants and their mothers.
  • also assessed quality of mother-infant attachment.
  • found higher level of synchrony was associated with better quality attachments.
  • suggests it is important for quality of attachment.
• STRENGTH OF CAREGIVER-INFANT - FILMED OBSERVATIONS:

  • usually filmed in a lab.
  • there is control over the variables.
  • recorded and analysed later - unlikely key behaviours will be missed.
  • more than one observer can record data, inter-rater reliability.
  • babies dont know they are being observed, show their natural behaviours.
  • high reliability & validity.
• LIMITATION OF CAREGIVER-INFANT - PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH TESTING INFANT BEHAVIOUR:

  • infants are in constant motion, doing things like laughing or sticking their tongue out.
  • difficult to distinguish between general activity & specific imitated behaviours, as infants cannot vocalise - difficult to understand from their perspective.
  • observer bias may impact, interpret behaviours to favour their research.
  • independent observers could be introduced.
  • decreased internal validity.
• LIMITATION OF CAREGIVER-INFANT - SOCIALLY SENSITIVE RESEARCH:

  • number of implications of the research being conducted.
  • could suggest that children may be disadvantaged by particular child-rearing practices.
  • mothers that return to work shortly after the child is born, reducing chance for interactional synchrony.
  • encourages the view that a woman's place is in the home, may make some mothers feel guilty for wanting to return to work.
• (ROTF) PARENT-INFANT INTERACTION:

  • Schaffer and emerson.
  • majority of babies did become attached to the mother first (7 months) and within a few weeks/months formed secondary attachments.
  • in 75% of the infant studies, attachment was formed with the father at age 18 months - protested when father walked away.
  • concluded primary attachment is more likely to be with the mother
• THE ROLE OF THE FATHER

  • grossman - longitudinal study looking at both parents quality of attachment with their infant.
  • found quality of attachment with mother was more important on teenagers attachment, in comparison to the father.
  • suggests fathers attachment is less important.
  • HOWEVER, fathers play was related to quality of attachment.
  • fathers role in attachment is more to do with stimulation and play and less to do with emotional development.
• FATHERS AS PRIMARY CAREGIVERS

  • They have the attributes and behaviours previously linked to mothers.
  • FIELD - filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers.
  • found primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling and imitating thn secondary caregiver fathers.
  • suggests fathers have the potential to be emotion-focused and provide the emotional responsiveness needed for attachment.
• LIMITATION OF ROTF - CONFUSION OVER RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

  • lack of clarity.
  • some researchers attempt to answer this by investigating the role of the father as secondary attachment figure whilst others are concerned with father as primary caregivers.
  • research has suggested fathers behave differently to mothers and have a distinct role of play, where others say they can take on a 'maternal' role.
• LIMITATION OF ROTF - CONTRADICTING EVIDENCE:

  • Golombock - children growing up in a single or same-sex parent families do not develop any differently.
  • contradict the idea that fathers play the role of the secondary attachment figure.
  • surely, if they did play a role then children without fathers would have developed differenly - this has not been the case.
  • means we are unaware of the true role of the father or their part in attachment.
• STRENGTH OF ROTF - REAL WORLD APPLICATION:

  • can be used to offer advice to parents.
  • parents sometimes agonise over who should be the primary caregiver - mothers feel pressured to stay home because of stereotypes of mothers and fathers.
  • equally, fathers may feel pressured to focus on working rather than parenting.
  • research may be used to offer support to these parents.
  • suggests parental anxiety can be reduced.