0.2 Caregiver infant interactions

what are attachments formed through

interactions with caregiver which are sensitive and of good quality

• infant caregiver interactions

• caregiver sensitivity

what are the two-types of identified interaction

• reciprocity - turn taking (3 months)

• interactional synchrony - mirroring (12 weeks)

who did the research into interactional synchrony

Meltzoff and Moore

12 weeks

what was the aim and sample of Meltzoff and More’s research

aim - test whether very young infants show interactional synchrony

sample - infants at 2 - 3 weeks old - then replicated at 3 months

what was the design and procedure of Meltzoff and More’s study

• controlled observation in a lab where the adult displayed standardised gestures (opening mouth, sticking tongue out…) in random order

• infant responses where recorded, judges observed - study reportedly had high inter-rater reliability

evaluation of Meltzoff and More’s study

• high internal validity + inter rater reliability - as rigorous observer binding and frame-by-frame micro-analysis

• intention inference problem - hard to know if infants mean to interact or if it is reflex only

• but can be used to support the idea attachment is innate (social releasers)

what are the other types interactions

• caregiverese

• bodily contact

• mimicking

when do interactions happens 

Brazelton 

babies have alert phases, signaling for these interaction with caregiver

what does the quality of interactions depend on

caregiver sensitivity

what is the caregiver sensitivity hypothesis

Ainsworth

more sensitive mothers lead to better attachments

what are the impacts of secure attachment

• enhanced emotional regulation

• improved social development 

• greater cognitive development 

• resilience and adaptability 

Isabella et al

caregiver-infant interaction study

what was the aim and sample of Isabella et al’s study

aim - investigate whether interactional synchrony is related to the quality of attachment between mothers and their infants

sample - 30 mother infant pairs (infants around 3 months)

method of Isabella et al’s study

• observed mother-infant interactions in a controlled setting

• recorded behaviours linked to interactional synchrony

• mothers were interviewed to assess the quality of their attachment bond with infant

what did Isabella et al find

high levels of interactional synchrony were strongly associated with secure attachment

mothers who were more responsive and sensitive to babies showed greater synchrony