Attachment - Caregiver-infant intraction

Question 1

What is attachment?

Answer 1

Attachment is when two people develop long, lasting emotional bonds. Both members seek closeness and feel more secure when close to their attachment figure e.g Caregivers and infants.

Question 2

How can we see the strength of the bonds?

Answer 2

The strength of these bonds can be seen through reciprocity and interactional synchrony.

Question 3

What is reciprocity?

Answer 3

Reciprocity is a mutual TURN TAKING form of interaction. Both the caregiver and infant contribute to the interaction by responding to each other’s signals and cues.

Question 4

What is Interactional synchrony?

Answer 4

Interactional synchrony is a SIMULTANEOUS interaction between the caregiver and the infant who appear to be acting rhythmically with matching emotional states.

Question 5

What are the other forms of interactions?

Answer 5

Imitation- when the infant directly copies the caregiver’s facial expressions
Sensitive responsiveness - when the adult correctly interprets the meaning of the infant’s speech and responds appropriately
Child-directed speech - baby talk which helps keep the childs attention
Body contact - physical contact especially skin-to-skin is essential for bonding especially in the first few hours of life