Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Caregiver-Infant Interactions

1. Description

   • Reciprocity- taking turns as in a conversation
   • Brazelton- mother anticipates infant signals, basis of attachment
   • Interactional synchrony- coordinated behaviour
   • Meltzoff and Moore- 3-day-old babies imitate mothers
   • Piaget- behaviour is pseudo-imitation (operant conditioning)
   • Murray and Trevarthen- infant distress if no response, supports innateness

2. Evaluation

   • Testing infant behaviour is difficult as they are in constant motion
   • Failure to replicate Meltzoff and Moore, e.g. Marian et al
   • Internationality supported- no response to inanimate object

3. Further Evaluation

   • Individual differences
     • Security of attachment associated with interactional synchrony
   • 'Like me' hypothesis
     • Meltzoff- interactional synchrony leads to theory of mind