caregiver-infant interactions

• Attachment is a two-way bond. Both people see the other one as crucial for emotional stability and survival. Attachments take time to develop.
• Short-term benefits of babies having an attachment: survival.

  Long-term benefits of babies having an attachment: is a framework for later relationships.
• Maccoby (1980): 4 characteristics of attachment

  • proximity seeking
  • separation distress
  • joy when reunited
  • orientation e.g., facing their legs towards someone
• reciprocity is when the baby and caregiver take turns in presenting a behaviour. The interaction is rhythmic. Babies have alert phases that show they are ready to interact with their caregiver. Mothers are typically able to identify and respond to these alerts.
• Interactional synchrony is when the caregiver and baby are in tune with each other, they present the same behaviours. Babies mirror the expressions of their caregiver e.g., laughing when the caregiver does.
• Meltzoff and Moore (1977) - interactional synchrony:

  • lab study: got baby ppts to watch an adult model doing different facial expressions whilst they had a dummy in. The dummy would then be taken from the baby.
  • when the dummy was taken from the baby, the baby mirrored the facial expressions of the model.
  • shows that interactional synchrony is a thing between caregivers and babies.
• Isabella et al (1989) - interactional synchrony:

  • observed 30 mothers (caregivers) and their babies to see how often interactional synchrony happened. Mothers were also asked to complete a questionnaire about the strength of their attachment to their child.
  • found that more interactional synchrony happens when the attachment formed is sronger.
• caregiver-infant interactions AO3:

  • controlled procedures. Can control the variables. Increased internal validity. HOWEVER, decreased ecological validity.
  • social sensitivity. Isabella et al: more interactional synchrony between mothers & infants, their attachment is stronger. Mothers might not want to go back to work as they want to form a strong attachment. Doesn't protect them from psychological harm.
  • doesn't show the purpose of R and IS, only that they happen. Observations have not been useful in finding out why these happen. HOWEVER, research = they useful for developing attachment.
• Non-verbal communication is communicating without words. Infants rely on non-verbal communication.
• Human infants are altricial (cannot do anything alone) so attach to their caregiver because of this. Animal infants are precocial (can do things alone) so do not rely on a caregiver.