Reciprocity and Interactional Synchrony

• attachment

  an emotional bond between two people, which is two-way process that is developed over time; leads to certain behaviours e.g proximity seeking
• Caregiver

  Any person who is providing care for a child such as a parent.
• Reciprocity

  mutual behaviour where both parties are able to generate a response from one another almost like a conversation through turn taking
• Brazelton (1979) 


  suggested reciprocal behaviour was an important precursor for the development of communication later. Signals the infant gives allows the carer to anticipate the child’s responses and respond appropriately. 
• Tronick et al. (1979) 


  found that when mothers who had been engaged in dialogue with their babies were asked to stop moving and remain static, the babies would become puzzled and distressed when their smiles were unable to provoke a reciprocal response. 
• interactional synchrony

  infants simultaneously imitating specific hand and facial gestures from an adult model in coordinated/ synchronised manner
• Meltzoff & Moore (1983) 


  demonstrated that interactional synchrony occurred with infants imitating facial expressions, tongue protrusions and mouth openings from an adult model when only three days old.

  This suggests the behaviour was innate rather than learned.
• What are the different types of attachment styles between caregivers and infants?

  There are four main types of attachment styles: secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. These attachment styles reflect the quality of the emotional bond between the caregiver and the infant.
• sensitive responsiveness


  The adult caregiver correctly interprets the meaning of the infant's communication and is motivated to respond appropriately
• Weaknesses of caregiver-infant interactions in humans

  
  

  • Infants cannot directly communicate their thoughts or emotions. Therefore findings in research depends on inferences, which are considered unscientific
  • Social sensitivity is a concern when investigating childrearing techniques as some women may find their life choices criticised