This document contains summarised notes from all topics covered in the Attachment chapter of the AQA Psychology for A-Level Year One textbook (Cara Flanagan, Matt Jarvis, Rob Liddle). The notes can be used as 16 mark essay plans to achieve marks in the top mark band for ALL topics, or simply to con...
RECIPROCITY + Filmed in a lab.
When each person responds to the other and elicits Can control any possible distractions and
a response from them. baby doesn’t know they’re being
E.g., baby smiles – caregiver says something – elicits observed – no response to demand
response from baby. characteristics.
Essential part of conversation – otherwise people Films can be analysed later – unlikely to
would talk over each other. miss key behaviours and more than one
Alert phases: observer can record data – inter-rater
Babies periodically have these – signal they are reliability.
ready for interaction (eye contact). Good reliability and validity.
Feldman and Eidelman (2007): mothers pick
up/respond to baby’s alertness 2/3 of the time. - Hard to interpret behaviours.
Finegood (2016): varies according to skill of mother Lack co-ordination/bodies mostly
and external factors (stress). immobile – movements being observed
Feldman (2007): from around 3 months it increases are subtle (hand movements/changes in
in frequency and mother/baby pay attention to each expression) – hard to know if baby is
other’s signals. smiling or passing wind.
Active involvement: Don’t know what is happening from
Babies as well as caretakers take an active role. baby’s perspective – hand twitch may be
Both can initiate interactions. random, rather than triggered by
Brazelton et al (1975): describe interaction as dance caregiver.
– partners respond to moves. Certain behaviours seen may not have a
special meaning.
- Observing behaviour doesn’t tell us about
INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY developmental importance.
‘Temporal co-ordination of micro-level social Feldman (2012): ideas like synchrony just
behaviour’ give names to patterns of observable
Caregiver and baby reflect actions/emotions of the behaviours in interactions.
other in a synchronised way. Can be reliably observed BUT we don’t
Meltzoff and Moore (1977): know the purpose of the behaviours –
Filmed interactions in a lab – independent observers may not be useful in understanding
labelled babies’ responses. development.
Starts as early as 2 weeks old. Can’t be certain that
Adult displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions/1 of 3 reciprocity/synchrony are important in
gestures. development.
Significant association between adults’ and babies’ - Counterargument – Isabella et al – high levels
expressions/gestures. of interactional synchrony associated with
Link to attachment: better quality attachment
Isabella et al (1989)
Interactional synchrony important in development of
attachment.
Observed mothers and babies - assessed synchrony
and quality of attachment.
High levels of synchrony associated with better
quality attachment.
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