Caregiver infant interactions Flashcards
(15 cards)
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
-Reciprocity is a mutual turn-taking form of interaction, where both the infant and the caregiver contribute to the interaction by responding to each other’s signals and cues
-Interactional synchrony is a simultaneous form of interaction between the caregiver and infant, where the caregiver and infant mirror each other’s behaviours and emotional states (coordinated)
Other forms of interactions between caregiver and infants
-Imitation: this is when the infant directly imitates the caregiver’s expression
-Sensitive responsiveness: this is when the caregiver successfully interprets the meaning of the infant’s interaction and responds accordingly; for example giving them milk when the infant shows signs of distress
-Child-directed speech: this is when the caregiver slows down their talking and raises the pitch; this voice modulation helps to keep the attention of the infant
-Body contact: Physical contact, especially skin-to-skin and in the first few hours of life, is very important for bonding i.e breast feeding
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) facial expressions with babies, provides support of reciprocity
-Meltzoff and Moore (1977): an experimenter displayed a range of facil expressions e.g sticking the tongue out or opening the mouth in an expression of shock, to an infant aged between 12-21 days
-The infant responses were filmed and rated by people who were unaware of the aims of the experiment
-It was found that the infant responses matched the facial expressions of the experimenters and this suggests that the ability to observe and reciprocate through imitation is present at a very early age
Condon and Sanders (1974)
-Condon and Sanders (1974) videotaped interactions between caregivers and newborn infants, focusing on the movements of the newborn in response to the adult’s voice
Using a detailed frame-by-frame analysis, they found evidence for interactional synchrony between the movements of the infant and the rhythmic patterns of the caregiver’s voice
-This suggests that humans have the innate ability for social interaction
Positive and negative evaluation of caregiver-infant interaction studies (Multiple observers blind to aims of experiment internal validity) However, babies cannot communicate, relies on inferences
-An advantage of research into caregiver-infant interactions is that it is highly controlled and often uses multiple observers that are blind to the aim of the research in order to provide inter rater reliability
-The high control of research into infant-caregiver interactions indicates high external validity
-HOWEVER, since infants cannot directly communicate their thoughts or emotions, research into caregiver-infant interactions relies a lot on inferences by researchers; an inference is an assumption based on directly observable behaviour from experimentation
-These inferences are effectively educated guesses and can be incorrect
Schaffer’s stage of attachment
- The first stage is Asocial (0-6 weeks); in this stage the infant displays innate behaviours such as crying/screaming to both inanimate objects and caregivers
-The infant can be comforted by anyone as they have not yet formed a specific preference for individual caregivers - The seconds stage is Indiscriminate (6 weeks - 7 months) ; in this stage the infant can differentiate between inanimate objects and humans as well as familiar and unfamiliar people (they smile more at people who they see frequently) However they do not yet develop stranger anxiety (distress at the presence of strangers) or separation anxiety (distress at the absence of a primary caregiver)
- The third stage is the specific attachment phase (7-9 months); this is where the infant forms a strong bond with their primary caregiver (often their mother) In this stage, stranger anxiety and separation anxiety both develop
4.The fourth and final stage is multiple attachments; this is where the infant forms attachments to other regular caregivers (e.g father, grandparents, siblings). Stranger anxiety decreases during this stage
Schaffer and Emerson research study (1964)
-Schaffer and Emerson (1964) identified four stages of attachment using a longitudinal observation
-Schaffer and Emerson studies 60 working class mother-infant pairs from Glasgow
-The infant was observed and the mother was interviewed every month for a year, with a follow up at 18 months
-The researchers assessed the infant’s development of stranger anxiety (distress when left with the researcher) and separation anxiety (distress when the mother (primary caregiver) leaves the room
-It was found that separation anxiety usually developed within 25-32 weeks in infants, with stranger anxiety developing a month later
-It was also found that the mothers with the strongest attachment to their infant had the most caregiver-infant interactions
-In the 18 month follow up, schaffer found that 87% of infants had dveloped multiple attachments
-These results suggest that infant’s attachment develops in clearly defined stages and since most infants share these stages, it is likely a biological process
-The results also suggest that the quality of caregiver-infant interactions directly affects the strength of attachment between the primary caregiver (mother in this case) and the infant
Negative evaluation of Schaffer and Emerson’s study (unrepresentative sample+temporal validity)
-The results gathered from the sample used in Schaffer and Emerson’s study may not be generalisable, as the sample used was comprised of only working class mothers from 1960s Glasgow
-This sample is not representative of much of the UK and the rest of the world
-The study may also lack temporal validity, as it is likely that child-rearing practices have changed from the 1960s to present day
Positive evaluation of Schaffer and Emerson’s study (was conducted in their own homes, high mundane realism)
-However, since the infants and mothers were observed in their own homes, the study has a high level of mundane realism, as the behaviours displayed are more likely to be natural
Intro to the role of the father ( schaffer: mothers more frequently primary caregiver but after 18 months etc)
Schaffer’s findings showed that the most common primary caregiver for infants was their mother alone (65%), compared to just 3% of fathers alone
-However, after 18 months, 75% of infants developed an attachment to their father, showing separation anxiety, suggesting that the father plays an important role in the life of their infant
The role of the father : importance of active play
-Fathers engage infants in active “play” more often than mothers; this stimulating play encourages infants to display risk-taking behaviour
The role of the father : as a primary caregiver
-With more women returning to the workforce in the modern day, more fathers are becoming primary caregivers
-There is evidence to suggest that when father become primary caregivers, their interactional style changes to be more like the mother, increasing their capacity for sensitive responsiveness
Research evaluation supporting the change in interactional styles of the father when primary caregiver and the role of the father in active play - Field (1978)
-Field (1987) observed three different types of caregivers and their interactions with their 4-month-old child: The mother as the primary caregiver, the father as the primary caregiver, and the father as the secondary caregiver
-It was found that both groups of fathers emphasised game playing while the mother focused on holding
-Additionally, the primary caregiver fathers showed sensitive responsiveness behaviour, similar to mothers; for example, the men displayed more child-directed speech than the secondary caregiver fathers
-This provides supporting evidence for the changing of interactional style of primary caregiver fathers and also supports the role of the father in active play
Positive research evaluation for the role of the father in socialisation (Velissimo (2011)
-Velissimo (2011) observed preschool children’s relationships with their mother and father, then conducted a follow up study assessing social interactions when the child was in nursery
-They found that a strong attachment with the father is the best predictor of a good ability to make friends for children, suggesting the importance of the role of the father in socialisation
Economic implications of research investigating the role of the father (equal paternity leave however cost benefit analysis)
-There are economic implications of research investigating the role of the father; this could lead to legislations that results in equal maternity and paternity leave
-However, from a cost benefit analysis viewpoint, this would reduce the number of men in the workforce significants, reducing their contributions to the economy, putting pressures on businesses
