Attachment
ATTACHMENT
CAREGIVER-INFANT INTERACTIONS
RECIPROCITY & INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY
Early interactions are meaningful. The quality of them is associated with development of
attachments later in life.
RECIPROCITY
What is it?
The baby and caregiver respond to each other and elicit responses.
Example:
A caregiver responds to a baby’s smile by saying something and then the baby responds by
making a sound of pleasure.
What is an alert phase?
From three months, the interactions become more intense and reciprocal.
The mothers respond when the baby is alert.
Babies have an active role:
Both caregiver and child initiate interactions and take turns, so the baby does not have a
passive role.
Interactional synchrony
What is it?
The child and caregiver carry out the same actions simultaneously.
“The temporal co-ordination of micro level social behaviour”
The beginnings of interactional synchrony:
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) observed interactional synchrony in babies as young as two
weeks.
Procedure: Adult displayed one of three facial expressions. Filmed baby’s response.
Findings: Babies’ expressions and gestures were more likely to mirror those of the
adults.
ATTACHMENT
CAREGIVER-INFANT INTERACTIONS
RECIPROCITY & INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY
Early interactions are meaningful. The quality of them is associated with development of
attachments later in life.
RECIPROCITY
What is it?
The baby and caregiver respond to each other and elicit responses.
Example:
A caregiver responds to a baby’s smile by saying something and then the baby responds by
making a sound of pleasure.
What is an alert phase?
From three months, the interactions become more intense and reciprocal.
The mothers respond when the baby is alert.
Babies have an active role:
Both caregiver and child initiate interactions and take turns, so the baby does not have a
passive role.
Interactional synchrony
What is it?
The child and caregiver carry out the same actions simultaneously.
“The temporal co-ordination of micro level social behaviour”
The beginnings of interactional synchrony:
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) observed interactional synchrony in babies as young as two
weeks.
Procedure: Adult displayed one of three facial expressions. Filmed baby’s response.
Findings: Babies’ expressions and gestures were more likely to mirror those of the
adults.
