1. Caregiver-infant interaction
Attachment
Caregiver-infant interaction

2. Reciprocity

3. Interactional synchrony
Early study by Tronik
Children are born imitators
Study by Melzoff and Moore (page 74)

4. Interactional Synchrony – Melzoff and Moore
Adults displayed one of three facial expressions/gestures to young babies.
Association found between expression/gesture and actions of the babies.

5. Attachment figures Multiple attachments/secondary attachments
Forms once true attachment formed with main caregiver.

6. Role of the father
Grossman (02) Found quality of infant attachment with mothers and not fathers was related to children’s attachments in adolescence.
However, quality of father’s play was related to adolescence attachments.
Field (78) – filmed 4 month old babies with various caregivers.
Primary caregiver fathers (like mums) spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver fathers. Fathers can be more nurturing attachment figure.

7. Evaluation/application
Boris is the father of a 9-month old girl, Emily. Boris has noticed that recently when Emily is distressed she only accepts comfort from her mother. This upsets him and leaves him feeling unimportant as a parent.
Referring to research into the role of fathers, what could you tell Boris about his role in Emily’s developing attachments?

8. Exam practice
Proud father Abdul was talking to his friend, as they were both watching Abdul’s wife, Tasneem, interacting with their baby daughter, Aisha.
‘It’s amazing really’, said Abdul. ‘Tasneem smiles, Aisha smiles back. Tasneem moves her head, Aisha moves hers, perfectly in time with each other.’
‘Yes’, agreed the friend. ‘It’s almost as if they are one person.’
With reference to Abdul’s conversation with his friend, outline two features of caregiver-infant interaction. (4 marks)

9. Mark scheme Marks for this question: AO2 = 4 1 mark for each outline:
interactional synchrony – adults and babies respond in time to sustain communication
reciprocity/turn-taking – interaction flows both ways between adult and infant
imitation – infant mimics/copies the adult’s behaviour
sensitive responsiveness – adult attends sensitively to infant’s communications.
Plus
1 mark each for application of feature to stem:
interactional synchrony – ‘…as if they are one person..’/ ‘…perfectly in time with each other..’
reciprocity/imitation/sensitive responsiveness – ‘Tasneem smiles, Aisha smiles back…’
Same part of stem can be credited if applied appropriately to more than one feature

10. Stages of attachment

11. Schaffer and Emerson (64)
Glasgow babies
Separation anxiety
Stranger anxiety
Specific attachment
Reciprocity
Multiple attachments

12. Evaluation Metholodological issues of S and E study
Problem with studying asocial stage
Conflicting evidence on multiple attachments
Measure multiple attachment

13. Practical application
Jock and Morag live with their son Tam. Morag’s mum sometimes looks after Tam while Morag is at work. When Morag is at home she does spent quite a bit of time playing with Tam.
When Tam got to 7 months old he began to get quite upset when his parents left for work. His grandmother tried to distract him and give him lots of attention.
Why is he doing this (with reference to the stages)?
What can they expect from Tam in the future?

14. Multiple choice questions
Quiz on page 100 in book.