Caregiver-infant interactions in humans

Question 1

A03: Meltzoff and Moore - Criticism

Answer 1

• recent research has found that only securely attached infants engage in interactional synchrony (IS)
  -Isabella et al found that more securely attached the infant, greater levels of IS.
• suggests that not all children engage in IS, and M and M original findings may have overlooked individual dif which could be mediating factor.

Question 2

A03: Questionable reliability

Answer 2

• Criticism of research into it is reliability of testing children.
• b) infants move their mouths and wave their arms constantly.
• this is an issue for researchers investigating intentional behvaiour.
• … can not be certain that the infants were actually engaging in IS or reciprocity as some of the behaviour may have occurred by chance.

Question 3

A03: Well-controlled procedures

Answer 3

• Mother-infant interactions are usually filmed, often from multiple angles
• Very fine details of behaviours can be recorded and analyzed.
• Babies do not know they are being observed.
• so their behaviour does not change in response to observation.
• (s) of this line of research is the studies have good validity.