Caregiver-Infant Interactions Flashcards
(15 cards)
Define attachment
two-way emotional tie that develops overtime between 2 people, shown in their behaviour
It is believed that the first relationship acts as a template for later relationships
Human babies are_______ which means that they are born at a relatively early stage of development
Altricial
We need to form bonds with adults who will protect and nurture them.
What are the short term and long term benefits of attachment?
Short term benefits - survival
Long term benefits - emotional relationships
What are alert phases?
Babies have alert phases in which they signal that they’re ready for interaction ( making eye contact )
Define reciprocity
Both caregiver and infant respond to eachothers signals and each elicits a response from the other
Define interactional synchrony
When caregiver and infant mirror the emotions/actions of eachother
What are the 3 key studies of caregiver-infant interactions
KEY STUDIES:
- Brazleton - reciprocity - dance
- Meltzoff and Moore - IS - observation 3 face 1 hand
- Isabella ete al - IS - 30 mothers
BRAZLETON
described mother infant interaction as a dance as they respond to each other
MELTZOFF AND MOORE
- first systematic study on IS
- infant 2-3 weeks old
- adult model displayeed one of 3 facial expressions and 1 hand gesture
- dummy used to prevent automatic reflex
- filmed
- association found between infant and adult
ISABELLA ET AL
- observed 30 mothers and infants
- higher levels of synchrony associated with better quality mother-infant attachment
- suggests IS promotes social and emotional competence important for attachments
Evaluations for caregiver-infant interactions
- Hard to know whats happening when observing infants - Gratier
- Controlled observations capture fine detail - Meltzoff and Moore
- Observations dont tell us purpose - Feldman
- Interactions not found in all cultures -Le Vine et al
Eval: Hard to know whats happening when observing infants - Gratier
- Gratier states same patterns in many observations
- merely hand movements, cant see infant perspective and intention
- may not be conscious and deliberate actions
- reduces validity
Eval: Controlled observations capture fine detail - Meltzoff and Moore
- filmed from multiple angles
- reviewed by other researchers
- Meltzoff and Moore
- Good reliability
Eval: Observations dont tell us purpose - Feldman
- Feldman points out that IR and reciprocity simply describe behaviour
- other possible theories of importance of IS and reci- like language and moral development
- weakness, incomplete explanation
Eval: Interactions not found in all cultures - Le Vine et al
- Le Vine et al reported Kenyan mothers have little physcical interactions with their infants but have high proportion of secure attachments
- research may be ethnocentric
- Reduces validity, claim may not be universal as suggested
