ATTACHMENT
Caregiver Infant Interactions
Attachment is the formation of a strong, reciprocal bond between an infant and a primary
caregiver. This is where the individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional
security.
Reciprocity
An interaction is reciprocal when each person responds to the other and elicits a response from
them, in a turn taking conversation, usually non-verbal.
Research from Feldman and Eidelman shows that mothers pick up and respond to their baby’s
alertness -signalling that they are ready for interaction – around two-thirds of the time.
Finegood suggested that this varies according to the skill of the mother and external factors
e.g. stress.
Feldman said this interaction increases from around three months, involving both the mother
and child’s attention to each other’s verbal and facial signals.
Babies and caregivers both take an active role, as both initiate interactions and take turns in
doing so. Brazleton described caregiver-infant interactions as a dance as it is just like a
couple’s dance, where each partner responds to the other’s movements.
Interactional synchronicity
Takes place when the caregiver and infant interact in such a way that their actions, behaviours,
and emotions mirror the others.
Meltzoff and Moore found that infants as young as two weeks old imitated specific facial and
hand gestures. An adult displayed one of three facial expressions or distinctive gestures. When
the baby’s response was filmed by observers, they found an association between the infant
behaviour and that of the adult model.
It is believed that interactional synchronicity is important for the development of caregiver-infant
attachment. Isabella observed 30 mothers and babies together to assess the degree of
synchrony and the quality of mother-baby attachment. They found high levels of synchrony
were associated with a better-quality mother-baby attachment.
,Evaluation
Caregiver-infant interactions are It is hard to interpret a baby’s
usually filmed in a laboratory. This behaviour. Babies lack coordination
means activity that may distract the and much of their bodies are immobile.
baby can be controlled, observations The observed movements are small
can be recorded and analysed later so hand movements or subtle changes in
researchers won’t miss key facial expression, even though it is
behaviours. As babies are unaware of difficult to tell what these are caused by
being filmed, their behaviour does not from the baby’s perspective. We
change. Data collected has good cannot be certain that the behaviours
reliability and validity. seen in caregiver-infant interactions
Evidence that early interactions are have a special meaning.
important. Isabella found that Observing a behaviour does not tell us
achievement of interactional synchrony its developmental importance. Feldman
predicted the development of a good said ideas such as synchrony give
quality attachment. Caregiver-infant names to patterns of observable
interaction is important in development. behaviour, but they aren’t particularly
useful in understanding child
development as it doesn’t tell us the
purpose of these behaviours. We
cannot be sure from observation that
reciprocity and interactional synchrony
is important for a child’s development.
, The Role of the Father
Attachment to fathers
Schaffer and Emerson provided evidence to suggest fathers are much less likely to become
babies’ first attachment figure compared to mothers.
They found that the majority of babies first become attached to their mother at around 7
months. In only 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment. In 27% of cases
both mother and father were joint first object of attachment.
Fathers go on to become an important attachment figure as Schaffer and Emerson found that
75% of babies studied formed an attachment by 18 months old, as they protested when their
father walked away.
Role of the father
Grossman carried out a longitudinal study looking at both parents’ behaviour and its
relationship to the quality of the children’s attachment into their teens. Quality of infant
attachment with mothers but not father was related to the children’s attachment in adolescence
suggesting that father attachment was less important than the mothers.
The quality of the father’s play with babies was related to the quality of adolescent attachments,
suggesting fathers have a different role from mothers that’s more to do with play and less to do
with emotional development.
Fathers as primary caregivers
There is evidence to suggest that when fathers are primary caregivers, they adopt typical
behaviour of mothers.
Field filmed 4-month-old babies in face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers,
secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers. Primary caregiver fathers, like the
mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating, and holding infants than the secondary caregiver
fathers.
The key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness, not the gender of the
parent.
Caregiver Infant Interactions
Attachment is the formation of a strong, reciprocal bond between an infant and a primary
caregiver. This is where the individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional
security.
Reciprocity
An interaction is reciprocal when each person responds to the other and elicits a response from
them, in a turn taking conversation, usually non-verbal.
Research from Feldman and Eidelman shows that mothers pick up and respond to their baby’s
alertness -signalling that they are ready for interaction – around two-thirds of the time.
Finegood suggested that this varies according to the skill of the mother and external factors
e.g. stress.
Feldman said this interaction increases from around three months, involving both the mother
and child’s attention to each other’s verbal and facial signals.
Babies and caregivers both take an active role, as both initiate interactions and take turns in
doing so. Brazleton described caregiver-infant interactions as a dance as it is just like a
couple’s dance, where each partner responds to the other’s movements.
Interactional synchronicity
Takes place when the caregiver and infant interact in such a way that their actions, behaviours,
and emotions mirror the others.
Meltzoff and Moore found that infants as young as two weeks old imitated specific facial and
hand gestures. An adult displayed one of three facial expressions or distinctive gestures. When
the baby’s response was filmed by observers, they found an association between the infant
behaviour and that of the adult model.
It is believed that interactional synchronicity is important for the development of caregiver-infant
attachment. Isabella observed 30 mothers and babies together to assess the degree of
synchrony and the quality of mother-baby attachment. They found high levels of synchrony
were associated with a better-quality mother-baby attachment.
,Evaluation
Caregiver-infant interactions are It is hard to interpret a baby’s
usually filmed in a laboratory. This behaviour. Babies lack coordination
means activity that may distract the and much of their bodies are immobile.
baby can be controlled, observations The observed movements are small
can be recorded and analysed later so hand movements or subtle changes in
researchers won’t miss key facial expression, even though it is
behaviours. As babies are unaware of difficult to tell what these are caused by
being filmed, their behaviour does not from the baby’s perspective. We
change. Data collected has good cannot be certain that the behaviours
reliability and validity. seen in caregiver-infant interactions
Evidence that early interactions are have a special meaning.
important. Isabella found that Observing a behaviour does not tell us
achievement of interactional synchrony its developmental importance. Feldman
predicted the development of a good said ideas such as synchrony give
quality attachment. Caregiver-infant names to patterns of observable
interaction is important in development. behaviour, but they aren’t particularly
useful in understanding child
development as it doesn’t tell us the
purpose of these behaviours. We
cannot be sure from observation that
reciprocity and interactional synchrony
is important for a child’s development.
, The Role of the Father
Attachment to fathers
Schaffer and Emerson provided evidence to suggest fathers are much less likely to become
babies’ first attachment figure compared to mothers.
They found that the majority of babies first become attached to their mother at around 7
months. In only 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment. In 27% of cases
both mother and father were joint first object of attachment.
Fathers go on to become an important attachment figure as Schaffer and Emerson found that
75% of babies studied formed an attachment by 18 months old, as they protested when their
father walked away.
Role of the father
Grossman carried out a longitudinal study looking at both parents’ behaviour and its
relationship to the quality of the children’s attachment into their teens. Quality of infant
attachment with mothers but not father was related to the children’s attachment in adolescence
suggesting that father attachment was less important than the mothers.
The quality of the father’s play with babies was related to the quality of adolescent attachments,
suggesting fathers have a different role from mothers that’s more to do with play and less to do
with emotional development.
Fathers as primary caregivers
There is evidence to suggest that when fathers are primary caregivers, they adopt typical
behaviour of mothers.
Field filmed 4-month-old babies in face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers,
secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers. Primary caregiver fathers, like the
mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating, and holding infants than the secondary caregiver
fathers.
The key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness, not the gender of the
parent.
