Attachment - caregiver infant interactions Flashcards
what is attachment
a close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
what is the importance of attachments
- ensure survival of babies when they are at their most vulnerable
- our earliest attachment serves as a prototype for later ones
what are care-giver infant interactions
- how babies and adults communicate with each other
what is reciprocity
- how two people interact
- caregiver and baby respond to each others signals and each elicits a response from the other
what is interactional synchrony
- caregiver and baby reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a synchronised way
what is the evidence for caregiver infant interactions
Feldman (2007)
- mothers typically pick up and respond to their baby’s alertness
- from 3 months the interaction becomes more frequent
- mother baby pay close attention to others verbal signals and facial expressions
Brazelton et al (1975)
- caregiver and baby initiate interactions and take turns
Mettzoff and Moore (1977)
- babies expressions and gestures are likely to mirror adults
Isabella et al (1989)
- high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother baby attachment
- observed 30 mothers and babies together and assessed the degree of synchrony
what are the strengths of caregiver infant interactions
Filmed observations
- aspects can be controlled
- unlikely to miss key behaviours when recorded
- behaviour doesn’t change in observation as babies are unaware they are being observed
what are the limitations of caregiver infant interactions
Difficult to observe babies
- babies lack co-ordination
- difficult to observe behaviour and have the babies perspective
- behaviours seen may not have a special meaning
Developmental importance
- observing behaviour doesn’t tell us developmental importance
Feldman (2012)
- cannot understand development and purpose of behaviours
- reciprocity and synchrony may not be important for development