AQA A Level Psychology Paper 1
4.1 Introductory topics in Psychology
Topic: Attachment
All 16 marker topic essays
1) Outline and evaluate caregiver-infant interactions (16)
Interactions between caregivers and infants provide an insight into the type
and nature of attachment. Reciprocity is when an infant responds to the
actions of another by turn taking. The actions of the primary caregiver elicit a
response from the infant. The interaction between both individuals flows back
and forth. Meltzoff and Moore conducted an observational study whereby an
adult displayed facial expressions or a hand gesture. Following the display
from the model, a dummy was removed from the child’s mouth and their
expressions were filmed. It was found that there was an association between
the infants’ behaviour and that of the adult model, showing reciprocity.
Interactional synchrony takes place when infants mirror the actions or
emotions of another person, for example their facial expressions. The child will
move their body, or carry out the same act as their caregiver simultaneously.
This serves to sustain communication between the caregiver and infant.
One limitation of research into caregiver-infant interactions is the questionable
reliability of testing children. This is because infants move their mouths and
wave their arms constantly, which is an issue for researchers investigating
intentional behaviour. Therefore, we cannot be certain that the infants were
engaging in interactional synchrony or reciprocity, as some of the behaviour
may have occurred by chance. This questions the validity of research in
relation to reciprocity and interactional synchrony and suggests that
psychologists should be cautious when interpreting the findings from research
in this area.
Another limitation is that there are methodological issues with studying
interactional synchrony using observational methods. There is the possibility
of observer bias where the researchers consciously or unconsciously interpret
behaviour to support their findings. To address this problem, more than one
4.1 Introductory topics in Psychology
Topic: Attachment
All 16 marker topic essays
1) Outline and evaluate caregiver-infant interactions (16)
Interactions between caregivers and infants provide an insight into the type
and nature of attachment. Reciprocity is when an infant responds to the
actions of another by turn taking. The actions of the primary caregiver elicit a
response from the infant. The interaction between both individuals flows back
and forth. Meltzoff and Moore conducted an observational study whereby an
adult displayed facial expressions or a hand gesture. Following the display
from the model, a dummy was removed from the child’s mouth and their
expressions were filmed. It was found that there was an association between
the infants’ behaviour and that of the adult model, showing reciprocity.
Interactional synchrony takes place when infants mirror the actions or
emotions of another person, for example their facial expressions. The child will
move their body, or carry out the same act as their caregiver simultaneously.
This serves to sustain communication between the caregiver and infant.
One limitation of research into caregiver-infant interactions is the questionable
reliability of testing children. This is because infants move their mouths and
wave their arms constantly, which is an issue for researchers investigating
intentional behaviour. Therefore, we cannot be certain that the infants were
engaging in interactional synchrony or reciprocity, as some of the behaviour
may have occurred by chance. This questions the validity of research in
relation to reciprocity and interactional synchrony and suggests that
psychologists should be cautious when interpreting the findings from research
in this area.
Another limitation is that there are methodological issues with studying
interactional synchrony using observational methods. There is the possibility
of observer bias where the researchers consciously or unconsciously interpret
behaviour to support their findings. To address this problem, more than one
