Attachment is an emotional bond between a caregiver and infant.
It is a two-way process that leads to endurance over time which results in certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking, serving the function of protecting an infant.
Still Face
Studies focused around still face demonstrate the need for reciprocity, with the first being performed by Dr Tronick.
Alone, still face isn’t dangerous, but when repeated for long durations it can lead to the baby being disinterested (seen in Genie - Feral Child) which can result in intellectual limitation.
Jaffe et al. (1973)
- Demonstrated that infants coordinated their actions with caregivers
- Similar to a conversa
- From birth, babies move in rhythm when interacting with adults
- From approx. 3 months, the baby and caregiver pay closer attention to each other’s facial expressions and verbal signals
- They may use these to determine how they respond to each other
- Similarly to a conversation, they take turns to initiate interactions and respond to each other’s behaviours
Sensitive Responsiveness
Sensitive responsiveness is how responsive one is to picking up on given cues and learning by being sensitive to the baby.
Brazelton (1979)
- Suggested that this basic rhythm is an important precursor to later communication
- Allows caregiver to anticipate infant’s behaviour and respond appropriately
- This sensitivity from the mother is important for later attachment between caregiver and infant
Alert phases
Babies have alert phases (eye contact) which signifies to the caregiver that they are ready for interaction.
These phases become more frequent as the baby develops.
Interactional Synchroneity
Interactional synchroneity is the replication of a behaviour of an another person.
When two people interact, they tend to mirror what the other does in terms of facial and body movements, including emotions and behaviours.
Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
Procedure
- An adult model displayed one of three facial expressions/hand movements
- Dummy was placed in infants’ (2 – 3 weeks old) mouths to prevent any response whilst observed
- The dummy was then removed with the child’s expression then being filmed on camera
Findings
- Association between infant behaviour and adult model
- Infants seemed to imitate specific facial and hand gestures