Caregiver-infant interactions
Reciprocity A03- summary
A reciprocal action is when each person responds to the Observations capture fine detail:
other and elicits a response from them Observations of interactions well controlled,
Babies have alert phases and signal when ready for with them being filmed from multiple angles
interaction – picked up on 2/3 of the time – ensures fine details of behaviour recorded
3 months – interaction increasingly frequent, close attention and analysed. Babies do not care about
to verbal signals and facial expression being observed so behaviour natural –
Baby takes an active role, (Brazleton –‘dance’) increases validity
Interactional synchrony
Is when mother and infant interact in such a way that their Hard to know what’s happening:
actions and emotions mirror each other Observations are mere hand
Meltzoff and Moore: movements/changes in expression so
difficult to know what is happening from the
Adult displayed 1/3 specific hand gestures or facial infants view – can’t know if behaviour has a
expressions special meaning, if its conscious and
Infants response filmed and identified deliberate
Association between action displayed by infant and
adult What’s the purpose:
Feldman- R and IS simply describe
Isabella – securely attached infant had more interactional behaviours that happen at the same time,
synchrony – suggests is important for development of doesn’t tell purpose of behaviour (some
mother-infant attachment evidence suggests helpful in development of
mother-infant attachment
Attachment figures
Parent-infant attachment A03- summary
Schaffer and Emerson: majority of babies attached to Inconsistent findings:
mother first, then secondary attachment after, 75% formed Researchers interested in diff questions:
attachment with father by 18 months (infants protested father as a secondary figure that behaves
when father walked away) differently and has a distinct role, others as
The role of the father – Grossman primary where fathers take on a maternal
Longitudinal study. Quality of infant attachment with role – role of the father not easily answered
mother related, with father not related to adolescent
attachment. What about children without fathers:
MacCallum & Golombok, children growing
Quality of fathers play related to adolescent – suggests up w/o a father do not develop differently
fathers role with play and stimulation more than nurturing from those with – suggests fathers role as
secondary figure not important as Grossman
Fathers as primary carers suggested
Field – filmed 4 MO babies in face to face interactions with
Primary mothers Fathers and primary attachments:
Secondary fathers Fathers not primary figure result of
Primary fathers – spent more time smiling, imitating, traditional gender roles not interaction -
holding hands than secondary fathers, suggests women=caring, nurturing so men don’t need
behaviour important in forming attachment and to act like that (however could be female
hormones making women biologically
, fathers can be more nurturing – key to attachment
responsiveness predisposed to be primary figure)
Schaffer and Emerson’s study
Procedure A03- summary
Longitudinal study, 60 Glasgow babies, working-class Good external validity:
visited at home every month for 1st year. Asked Study in families own homes, observations done by
questions about babies protests in 7 everyday parents during ordinary activities – natural
separations e.g adult leaves room – assessed behaviour = good EV
separation and stranger anxiety through response to
unfamiliar adults Longitudinal design:
Findings Same children followed up, increases internal val.
as no confounding carriable of individual
25-32 weeks: 50% separation anxiety towards differences
specific adult who showed greater reciprocity
(more interactive and sensitive to signals) Limited sample characteristics:
40 weeks: 80% had specific attachment, 30% Ppts from same city, social class and area over 50
multiple attachments years ago – child-rearing practices vary between
cultures and historical periods, lacks
generalisability (temporal and population validity)
Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Stage 1: asocial stage (first few weeks) A03 – summary
Behaviour towards inanimate objects and humans similar Problems with the asocial stage:
Some preference for familiar Babies in the stage have poor
Happier in presence of humans coordination and are generally
immobile –little observable behaviour
Stage 2: indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months) so can’t reliably make judgments
Prefer people over inanimate objects
Accept comfort from any adult (behaviour indiscriminate) Conflicting evidence on multiple
Don’t usually show separation or stranger anxiety attachments:
Bowlby: single attachment to main
Stage 3: specific attachment (7 months) carer before multiple, others: formed
Start to display separation (to mother 65% of the time) from the outset, particularly in
and stranger anxiety collectivist cultures
Baby formed specific attachment towards primary
attachment figure – person who has highest reciprocity Measuring multiple attachment:
(most responsive) Distress when an individual leaves does
not mean they are an attachment figure
Stage 4: multiple attachments – Bowlby: children have playmates and
Shortly after forming a specific attachment get distressed when they leave but
Extend attachment behaviour towards adults whom they doesn’t signify attachment, Schaffer and
regularly spend time with – secondary attachments Emerson: observation doesn’t allow
S & E’s study: 29% had secondary attachments within a behaviour to be distinguished between
month of specific, by 1 year old majority formed multiple secondary attachment figures and
attachments playmates
Reciprocity A03- summary
A reciprocal action is when each person responds to the Observations capture fine detail:
other and elicits a response from them Observations of interactions well controlled,
Babies have alert phases and signal when ready for with them being filmed from multiple angles
interaction – picked up on 2/3 of the time – ensures fine details of behaviour recorded
3 months – interaction increasingly frequent, close attention and analysed. Babies do not care about
to verbal signals and facial expression being observed so behaviour natural –
Baby takes an active role, (Brazleton –‘dance’) increases validity
Interactional synchrony
Is when mother and infant interact in such a way that their Hard to know what’s happening:
actions and emotions mirror each other Observations are mere hand
Meltzoff and Moore: movements/changes in expression so
difficult to know what is happening from the
Adult displayed 1/3 specific hand gestures or facial infants view – can’t know if behaviour has a
expressions special meaning, if its conscious and
Infants response filmed and identified deliberate
Association between action displayed by infant and
adult What’s the purpose:
Feldman- R and IS simply describe
Isabella – securely attached infant had more interactional behaviours that happen at the same time,
synchrony – suggests is important for development of doesn’t tell purpose of behaviour (some
mother-infant attachment evidence suggests helpful in development of
mother-infant attachment
Attachment figures
Parent-infant attachment A03- summary
Schaffer and Emerson: majority of babies attached to Inconsistent findings:
mother first, then secondary attachment after, 75% formed Researchers interested in diff questions:
attachment with father by 18 months (infants protested father as a secondary figure that behaves
when father walked away) differently and has a distinct role, others as
The role of the father – Grossman primary where fathers take on a maternal
Longitudinal study. Quality of infant attachment with role – role of the father not easily answered
mother related, with father not related to adolescent
attachment. What about children without fathers:
MacCallum & Golombok, children growing
Quality of fathers play related to adolescent – suggests up w/o a father do not develop differently
fathers role with play and stimulation more than nurturing from those with – suggests fathers role as
secondary figure not important as Grossman
Fathers as primary carers suggested
Field – filmed 4 MO babies in face to face interactions with
Primary mothers Fathers and primary attachments:
Secondary fathers Fathers not primary figure result of
Primary fathers – spent more time smiling, imitating, traditional gender roles not interaction -
holding hands than secondary fathers, suggests women=caring, nurturing so men don’t need
behaviour important in forming attachment and to act like that (however could be female
hormones making women biologically
, fathers can be more nurturing – key to attachment
responsiveness predisposed to be primary figure)
Schaffer and Emerson’s study
Procedure A03- summary
Longitudinal study, 60 Glasgow babies, working-class Good external validity:
visited at home every month for 1st year. Asked Study in families own homes, observations done by
questions about babies protests in 7 everyday parents during ordinary activities – natural
separations e.g adult leaves room – assessed behaviour = good EV
separation and stranger anxiety through response to
unfamiliar adults Longitudinal design:
Findings Same children followed up, increases internal val.
as no confounding carriable of individual
25-32 weeks: 50% separation anxiety towards differences
specific adult who showed greater reciprocity
(more interactive and sensitive to signals) Limited sample characteristics:
40 weeks: 80% had specific attachment, 30% Ppts from same city, social class and area over 50
multiple attachments years ago – child-rearing practices vary between
cultures and historical periods, lacks
generalisability (temporal and population validity)
Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Stage 1: asocial stage (first few weeks) A03 – summary
Behaviour towards inanimate objects and humans similar Problems with the asocial stage:
Some preference for familiar Babies in the stage have poor
Happier in presence of humans coordination and are generally
immobile –little observable behaviour
Stage 2: indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months) so can’t reliably make judgments
Prefer people over inanimate objects
Accept comfort from any adult (behaviour indiscriminate) Conflicting evidence on multiple
Don’t usually show separation or stranger anxiety attachments:
Bowlby: single attachment to main
Stage 3: specific attachment (7 months) carer before multiple, others: formed
Start to display separation (to mother 65% of the time) from the outset, particularly in
and stranger anxiety collectivist cultures
Baby formed specific attachment towards primary
attachment figure – person who has highest reciprocity Measuring multiple attachment:
(most responsive) Distress when an individual leaves does
not mean they are an attachment figure
Stage 4: multiple attachments – Bowlby: children have playmates and
Shortly after forming a specific attachment get distressed when they leave but
Extend attachment behaviour towards adults whom they doesn’t signify attachment, Schaffer and
regularly spend time with – secondary attachments Emerson: observation doesn’t allow
S & E’s study: 29% had secondary attachments within a behaviour to be distinguished between
month of specific, by 1 year old majority formed multiple secondary attachment figures and
attachments playmates
