4.8 • +11k Ratings
Save
Print
Edit
In psychology, caregiver-infant interactions are interactions between babies or infants and their parents or guardians (the caregivers). Caregiver-infant interactions are a way of establishing and showing attachment between the infant and the caregiver.
Attachment is an emotional bond with another person that provides feelings of safety and closeness. Attachment is a reciprocal emotional bond in the relationship between caregiver and infant. Reciprocal interactions strengthen the bond.
In psychology, examples of caregiver-infant interactions would be reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
When the caregiver or infant initiates an interaction, responses follow the interaction. We refer to this as reciprocity. When the infant and caregiver elicit responses from each other, it is a sign of reciprocity. Reciprocity of interactions usually evokes important feelings from the caregiver or infant, such as comfort, safety, or closeness.
These interactions usually take the form of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication includes eye contact, smiling, facial expressions, sounds (e.g., gurgling) and physical touch.
Interactional synchrony occurs when one person mirrors the interactions of another, such as facial expressions and body language. Caregiver-infant interaction is a reciprocal behaviour – a 'conversation' through behaviours and emotions. When the caregiver tickles the infant, the infant smiles, and the caregiver laughs. The infant, in turn, makes happy gurgling sounds in response to the caregiver's laughter.
Physical touch is a non-verbal caregiver infant interaction example that can show attachment. Pixabay
Condon and Sander (1974) found that babies as young as one day synchronise their movements and responses with the phonetic structure (rhythm) of adult speech. The researchers reported a 'turn-by-turn' interaction in which an adult spoke, and the baby responded.
The finding suggests babies can pay attention to sounds at an early age and converse with physical movements and gestures that may seem random at first glance. The study showed how babies use reciprocity and interactional synchrony to interact with their caregivers.
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) observed interactional synchrony when adults showed infants with pacifiers in their mouths facial expressions or hand gestures to prevent immediate responses. As soon as they removed the pacifiers, the infants' facial expressions changed depending on which facial expression or hand gesture the adult showed.
We will look at various research and studies on caregiver-infant interactions. Below is an overview of the subtopics.
Traditionally, researchers have focused on the relationships between mother and child. In studies of attachment figures and the role of the father, researchers have examined how attachments and interactions between caregivers and infants in a father-infant relationship differ from those in a mother-infant relationship. They also examined the father's role in the infant's social and emotional development.
Field (1978) compared the behaviour of mothers who are primary caregivers to that of fathers who are primary caregivers and fathers who are secondary caregivers. Field found that fathers who were primary caregivers showed interactions with the infant such as smiling, touching, and making sounds, as did their female counterparts. Fathers who were secondary caregivers spent less time and were more engaged in play.
The study concluded that parental behaviour, not gender, is more important in building an attachment with the infant. Fathers can also behave in a caring and accommodating manner towards the infant, similar to the way mothers usually do.
Bowlby (1988) argued that fathers play a different role than mothers in most cultures and that it is unusual for fathers to be 'like' mothers and fill their roles. He suggested that fathers are more likely to interact with children through play. In his monotropic theory (1969), he held that children form an attachment to a 'primary' attachment figure, usually the mother.
Grossman (2002) conducted a longitudinal study to compare the contribution of fathers and mothers to their child's attachment at ages 6, 10, and 16. The researchers found that the quality of attachment in mother-infant relationships was important in examining the infant's long-term attachment into adolescence. This was not the case for father-child relationships, suggesting that the father's role is less important to an infant's development.
However, the researchers found that fathers' play sensitivity better predicted the infant's long-term attachment representation than father-child infant attachment during the early stages of the infant's life.
Play sensitivity was measured using the Sensitive and Challenging Interactive Play (SCIP) scale. Parents scored high if they cooperated with the child during play, took time to understand the child's point of view, explained information that the child could understand, motivated the child, and made suggestions that the child generally accepted.
Parents scored low if they did not cooperate, did not help the child, interfered with the child's actions, or pushed the child to achieve something.
MacCullum and Golombok (2004) found that children who grew up in single-parent or same-sex families showed no differences in development compared to children who grew up in a heterosexual family with two parents. This study suggests that the father's role in forming attachments may not be as pronounced or crucial as initially thought.
In their longitudinal study, Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that the primary attachment of infants to their mothers occurs at about 6-7 months of age. At about ten months of age, infants develop secondary attachments to their father and other family members, which is also the beginning of multiple attachments.
By 18 months of age, 31% of infants had developed attachments to siblings, grandparents, neighbours, or other family members. Schaffer and Emerson suggest that infants go through the following stages of attachment:
Schaffer and Emerson found that the mother was still the primary attachment figure at 18 months. Other attachments varied in a 'hierarchy' depending on how important the attachments were to the child.
The researchers concluded that infants are more likely to bond with those who respond accurately to the infant's signals than with those who spend more time with the infant; this is called sensitive responsiveness. Responding to the infant's signals includes communicating and playing with the infant and responding to the infant's demands, such as crying for attention or asking for something (e.g., a toy or a favourite TV programme).
Forming multiple attachments is essential for a child's development, Unsplash
Research on caregiver-infant interactions in psychology encounters several difficulties, mainly because infants cannot communicate verbally. The following are common problems and possible solutions:
In research, the reliability of testing infants and children is questionable because infants' movements can be due to various reasons and not necessarily reciprocity or interaction with adults. It is not easy to determine which are intentional and which accidental behaviours.
A possible solution is to conduct experiments in a controlled environment to increase the reliability of the results.
Researchers may interpret infant behaviour to support their findings, known as observer bias. Since the infant's movements are subject to interpretation, this can affect the reliability of the results.
A possible solution is for more than one observer to be involved in observation and interpretation to increase inter-observer reliability.
Researchers may be overlooking individual factors, such as differences in attachment styles. Isabella et al. (1989) found that securely attached infants showed greater engagement in interactional synchrony. Outcomes are then likely to vary according to the infant's attachment style.
One possible solution is to examine caregiver-infant interactions across different attachment styles to determine if outcomes vary. For example, cross-cultural research could also consider differences in attachment styles and parenting practices.
We can counter difficulties of investigating caregiver-infant interactions by adding another observer to increase inter-observer reliability, using controlled experimental environments, and studying interactions between different attachment styles.
Research into the interaction between caregivers and children is socially sensitive, as it may suggest that some child-rearing practices are detrimental to children and their development.
Two features of caregiver-infant interaction are reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
Reciprocity in infant-caregiver interaction means that either the caregiver or the infant initiates the interaction, followed by a response. Reciprocity means that the infant and caregiver can elicit responses from each other.
Caregiver-infant interaction is important because it creates a bond between the infant and the caregiver. In turn, it can promote the infant's social and emotional development.
60%
of the users don't pass the Caregiver Infant Interactions quiz! Will you pass the quiz?
Start Quiz
Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan.
Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes.
Create and find flashcards in record time.
Create beautiful notes faster than ever before.
Have all your study materials in one place.
Upload unlimited documents and save them online.
Identify your study strength and weaknesses.
Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them.
Stop procrastinating with our study reminders.
Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying.
Create flashcards in notes completely automatically.
Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates.
Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.
