Caregiver-infant Interactions

Caregiver-infant Interactions

1. Types of caregiver-infant interactions

   • Reciprocity
     • Any behaviour that is produced as a response to the other person’s behaviour. It is always two-way, like a conversation (often without words) between the infant and caregiver
       • doesn’t tell us anything about the quality of those interactions.
   • Interactional synchrony
     • Any interaction that has interactional synchrony is also reciprocal but here the interaction is rhythmic, has a mutual focus and can include infant and caregiver mirroring each other’s behaviour but more importantly their emotions
       • The infant and caregiver’s behaviours are synchronised because they are moving in the same, or a similar, pattern and so interactional synchrony does tell us about the quality of the interaction.