ATTACHMENT
Caregiver-infant interactions
AO1
1. Interactional synchrony is when a caregiver and an infant reflect
each other's emotions and actions in a coordinated way
2. Reciprocity is when both caregiver and infant respond to each
other’s signals, and each elicits response from the other
3. Higher levels of synchrony were associated with better quality of
mother-infant attachment
4. Researchers have described their interactions as a ‘dance’
because both equally take part in the interactions
5. Meltzoff and Moore filmed and observed interactional synchrony in
babies, the adult displayed one of three facial expressions or one
of three gestures, they found that the baby was most likely to
copy the expression/gesture that the adult was doing
6. Isabella et al. found that infants who displayed higher levels of
interactional synchrony with their mothers were more likely to
form secure attachments
AO3
Lab setting: research is usually Hard to interpret baby’s behaviour:
filmed in a lab; therefore, data we don’t know what parts are
should be reliable and valid, intentional, so we can’t be certain
captures fine details if the behaviour seen in
interactions has a special meaning
Social desirability bias: the mother Socially sensitive: blames mothers
often knows it is a study, so she who return to work shortly after
may act differently than how she their child is born for restricting the
usually would to please the opportunities of interactional
researcher synchrony, which researchers have
proven very important
, Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
AO1
1. The first stage of attachment is asocial (first few weeks) –
behaviour towards objects and humans are quite similar, happier
in the presence of humans
2. The second stage is indiscriminate (2-7 months) – preference for
people, recognise and prefer familiar adults, no
separation/stranger anxiety
3. The third stage is specific (from 7 months) – show
separation/stranger anxiety, now have a primary attachment
figure
4. The fourth stage is multiple (by the age of 1) – extend attachment
behaviour to other adults they spend a lot of time with, they are
secondary attachments
5. Between 25-32 weeks of age, 50% of the babies showed signs of
separation anxiety towards one specific adult
6. Attachment tended to be to the caregiver who was most
interactive and sensitive to infant signals
AO3
External validity: carried out in the Social desirability bias: the parents
families’ own homes and report it themselves, so they may
observation was done by parents act differently or adjust the results
during normal activities and to try to please the researcher,
reported later also could be less accurate
Limited sample: all from the same Longitudinal study: they were
area and social class, so not followed up and observed regularly
generalisable, could be very – internal validity
different for other cultures
Caregiver-infant interactions
AO1
1. Interactional synchrony is when a caregiver and an infant reflect
each other's emotions and actions in a coordinated way
2. Reciprocity is when both caregiver and infant respond to each
other’s signals, and each elicits response from the other
3. Higher levels of synchrony were associated with better quality of
mother-infant attachment
4. Researchers have described their interactions as a ‘dance’
because both equally take part in the interactions
5. Meltzoff and Moore filmed and observed interactional synchrony in
babies, the adult displayed one of three facial expressions or one
of three gestures, they found that the baby was most likely to
copy the expression/gesture that the adult was doing
6. Isabella et al. found that infants who displayed higher levels of
interactional synchrony with their mothers were more likely to
form secure attachments
AO3
Lab setting: research is usually Hard to interpret baby’s behaviour:
filmed in a lab; therefore, data we don’t know what parts are
should be reliable and valid, intentional, so we can’t be certain
captures fine details if the behaviour seen in
interactions has a special meaning
Social desirability bias: the mother Socially sensitive: blames mothers
often knows it is a study, so she who return to work shortly after
may act differently than how she their child is born for restricting the
usually would to please the opportunities of interactional
researcher synchrony, which researchers have
proven very important
, Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
AO1
1. The first stage of attachment is asocial (first few weeks) –
behaviour towards objects and humans are quite similar, happier
in the presence of humans
2. The second stage is indiscriminate (2-7 months) – preference for
people, recognise and prefer familiar adults, no
separation/stranger anxiety
3. The third stage is specific (from 7 months) – show
separation/stranger anxiety, now have a primary attachment
figure
4. The fourth stage is multiple (by the age of 1) – extend attachment
behaviour to other adults they spend a lot of time with, they are
secondary attachments
5. Between 25-32 weeks of age, 50% of the babies showed signs of
separation anxiety towards one specific adult
6. Attachment tended to be to the caregiver who was most
interactive and sensitive to infant signals
AO3
External validity: carried out in the Social desirability bias: the parents
families’ own homes and report it themselves, so they may
observation was done by parents act differently or adjust the results
during normal activities and to try to please the researcher,
reported later also could be less accurate
Limited sample: all from the same Longitudinal study: they were
area and social class, so not followed up and observed regularly
generalisable, could be very – internal validity
different for other cultures
