Attachment

Attachment

1. Caregiver Infant Interactions in Humans

   • Reciprocity
     • Interactions between carers and infants result in mutual behaviour, with both parties being able to produce responses from each other, fortifying attachment bond
   • Interactional Synchrony
     • Infants move their bodies in tune with the rhythm of carers' spoken language to create a kind of turn taking, also serves to fortify attachment bond.

2. Schaffer (Stages of Attachment)

   • Pre-attachment phase (0-3 months)
     • Infants demonstrate a preference for human faces.
   • Multiple attachments (9 months onwards)
     • Emotional ties to more than one caregiver, e.g. grandparents.
   • Indiscriminate phase (3-7/8 months)
     • They begin to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people.
   • Discriminate attachment (7/8 months)
     • Develop specific attachments and become distressed when separated.