Caregiver-infant interactions

Question 1

What is attachment?

Answer 1

• An enduring emotional bond between an infant and caregiver
• Both infant and caregiver seek closeness to one another and feel more secure when in the presence of one another

Question 2

What is the first sign of attachment?

Answer 2

• Proximity seeking (When infants try to be physically close to their attachment figure
• Provides them with safe and secure base

Question 3

What is the second sign of attachment?

Answer 3

• Stranger anxiety (Infants experience distress when in the presence of an unknown individual

Question 4

What is the third sign of attachment?

Answer 4

• Separation anxiety (Infants experience distress when separated from caregiver)

Question 5

What are the caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 5

• Reciprocity (Interaction between caregiver and infant in turn taking fashion, behaviour of caregiver would result in response from infant, responses can be the same or different)
• Interactional synchrony (Caregivers and infant respond in time to maintain communication, behavior mirrors each other)
• Imitation (Caregiver and infant may copy each other’s behaviour, occurs on purpose unlike interactional synchrony and has a delayed response like reciprocity)

Question 6

Outline Murray and Trevarthen’s research into reciprocity in 1985

Answer 6

• 2 month old infants interacted with mother for a certain amount of time and mother will engage with baby demonstrating reciprocity
• After time is up, experiment will repeat for same amount of time but mother now puts a still face for the whole time
• Measured how much distress the infant displayed

Question 7

Outline Isabella et al’s research into interactional synchrony in 1989

Answer 7

• Researchers measured how strongly infants were attached to their caregivers
• Recorded and measured how much interactional synchrony was displayed between infants and their caregivers
• More strongly attached infant- caregiver pairs showed greater interactional synchrony
• Interactional synchrony plays a role in quality of infant-caregiver attachments

Question 8

Outline Meltzoff and Moore’s research into imitation in 1977

Answer 8

• Infants shown facial gestures (adults sticking tongue out) and manual gestures (adults waving fingers)
• During this, dummy placed in infant’s mouth to prevent an immediate response
• Following display, dummy was removed and all responses were video recorded to measure how much imitation the infant displayed
• Infants as young as 12 days old could imitate both the facial and manual gestures
• Ability to imitate is innate capacity that facilitates the development of an attachment

Question 9

Outline the strength of research into caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 9

• Conducted in highly controlled environments to enable standardised procedures
• In Meltzoff and Moore’s imitation study, type of gesture adult made and how long it would be displayed for was controlled
• Strength because standardised procedures ensure validity of findings and enables the research to easily be replicated to check the reliability of findings

Question 10

Outline one limitation of research into caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 10

• Issue with intentionality with regards to whether infant behaviours were deliberate and conscious
• Often observed that expressions like sticking tongue out and smiling are frequent behaviours of infants
• May have been coincidence that infant reciprocated or imitated expression from caregiver
• Infants are unable to communicate verbally so inferences must be made about infant’s behaviour (subjective)
• Questions validity of conclusions drawn regarding caregiver-infant interactions

Question 11

Outline final limitation of research into caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 11

• May be socially sensitive
• Research demonstrating importance of of caregiver-infant interactions in the development and maintenance of strong attachments may result in negative implications for working mothers who spend less time interacting with infants
• Multiplier effect leading to negative implications of economy since pressure on caregivers to stay at home
• Could be argued benefits of caregivers spending more time with infants outweighs negative implications on economy
• Adds to controversy surrounding appropriateness of research into caregiver- infant interactions