caregiver-infant interactions

Question 1

attachment

Answer 1

close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security

Question 2

reciprocity

Answer 2

caregiver and baby respond to each other’s signals and each elicits a response from the other

Question 3

interactional synchrony

Answer 3

caregiver and baby reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a co-ordinated way

Question 4

alert phases

Answer 4

when babies signal

research shows mothers pick up and respond to baby’s alertness 2/3rd of time

3 months - interaction tends to become increasingly frequent

Question 5

synchrony begins

Answer 5

meltzoff and moore

2 weeks old

an adult displayed one of three facial expressions
baby’s response was filmed and labelled

expression and gestures more likely to mirror those of adults more than chance would predict - significant association

Question 6

importance for attachment

Answer 6

interactional synchrony

isabella et al
30 mothers and babies
assessed the degree of synchrony and quality of attachment

high levels of synchrony associated with better attachment

Question 7

filmed observation

Answer 7

P - strength as interactions filmed in a laboratory
E - other activity that might distract baby can be controlled and observations analysed later
E - prevent missing key behaviours and establish inter-rater reliability and babies dont know being observed
L - data collection has good reliability and validity

Question 8

difficulty observing babies

Answer 8

P - limited as hard to interpret baby’s behaviour
E - lack co-ordination and immobile - movements observed are small hand movements or subtle chances in expression
E - difficult to determine whether smile is due to parent or just baby
L - uncertain behaviours seen have a special meaning

Question 9

developmental importance

Answer 9

P - limited as simply observing behaviour doesnt show developmental importance
E - Feldmen - synchrony and reciprocity give names to patterns of observable behaviours
E - they can be reliably observed
L - still cannot be useful in understanding child development as no purpose of these behaviours

P - however evidence from research to suggest importance
E - Isabella et al
E - achievement of interactional synchrony predicted the development of a good quality attachment
L - caregiver-infant interaction important

Question 10

practical value versus ethics

Answer 10

P - practical applications in parenting skills training
E - parent-child interaction therapy improved interactional synchrony in mothers and pre-school children
E - however, socially sensitive
L - mother returns to work soon then risk damaging development