Attachment

Attachment

1. The Role of the Father

   • There is an expectation in Western cultures that there father should play an ever increasing role in bringing up children. Also, the number of women working full time has increased in recent decades which has led to fathers having a more active role.
   • Whilst mothers usually adopt a more caregiving and nurturing role than fathers, fathers adopt a more play-mate role than mothers.
   • Most infants prefer contact with their father when in a positive emotional state and wanting to play. In contrast most infants prefer contact with their mother when they are distressed and need comforting.
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2. Caregiver-Infant Interactions in Humans

   • Reciprocity refers to the process in which a behaviour is matched during an interaction e.g. smiling back when someone smiles at us.
   • Interactional synchrony refers to how a parent’s speech and infant’s behaviour become finely synchronised so that they are in direct response to one another.
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