caregiver-infant interactions in humans Flashcards
(11 cards)
what is reciprocity(turn-taking)
when the infant and caregiver are able to produce responses from one another (it goes both ways). for example when a caregiver speaks it ellicits a response from the infant
what are periodic alert phases
infants have periodic alert phases where they make eye contact signalling they are ready for interaction
what did feldman find in terms of reciprocity
feldman found periodic alert phases become more frequent at 3 months old, involving the mother and infant paying close attention to each other’s signals and facial expressions
what does research show about the mother’s reciprocity
mothers picks this up and responds 2/3 of the time. it varies according to mother’s skill and external factors such as stress
what is interactional synchrony
the temporal co-ordination of micro-level social behaviour. synchrony refers to when caregivers and infants carry out same action simultaneously.
which researcher conducted research into interactional synchrony
meltzoff and moore observed IS in babies as young as 2 weeks old
what did isabella et al find in interactional synchrony
isabella et al observed 30 mothers and babies together and found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-baby attachment.
eval - supporting evidence into IS pet
strength
P: interactional synchrony was supported by meltzoff and moore
E: observed beginnings of interactional synchrony in babies as young as 2 weeks old - association found between expression or gesture the adult displayed and the actions of the babies - therefore supporting is bc babys and adults seem to mirror each other behaviour
T: supports IS as an interaction - increasing validity
limitation - pet - opposing theory - learning theory
p: imitation can be better explained by other theories such as psuedo imitation
e: according to Piaget true imitation does not develop until near the end of the first year - anything before is response training - the infant is repeating behaviour which is rewarding so they learn through reinforcement (operant conditioning) to imitate - it is not intentional - caregiver smiling = positive reinforcement for child - who repeats behaviour - piaget calls this pseudo imitation
T: IS and reciprocity lack validity as theories of interaction and other theories are more plausible
limitation pete - testability
p: one limitation of research into caregiver infant interaction is that it is hard to interpret a baby’s behaviour
e: it is difficult to be sure whether a baby is actually smiling or just exhibiting their natural reflexes which can look similar - also difficult to understand a baby’s rationale behind such expressions
t: therefore any conclusions drawn would be based on biased intepretations reducing validity of findings
e: however to overcome this researchers such as meltzoff and moore use observers who were blind to aim and hypothesis of study. furthermore they filmed interactions between caregivers and infants ensuring test-retest reliability
strength pete - usefulness
p: research into cii has practical applications
e: meltzoff and moore demonstrated IS with 3 day old babies. such research has led to changes within maternity wards and babies now stay alongside their mothers from birth to aid attachment. furthermore: crotwell et al found that 10 minute parent child interaction therapy improved is in 20 low income mothers and their pre school children
t: research has been able to improve attachments through increased c.i interactions - positive impact
e: however research is socially sensitive because it can be used to argue that when a mother reutrns to work soon after having a baby she is putting her child at disadvantages emotionally, cognitively and physically. burman(feminist) argued against theorists such as isabella and bowlby claiming these theories placed too much unnecessary pressures on mothers - fathers responsibility too
