Caregiver-infant interactions

Attachment: an emotional relationship between two people in which each seeks closeness and feels more secure when in the presence of the attachment figure; can be characterised by staying close physically and separation anxiety

Reciprocity: mothers and babies interact and get a response from one another; from around 3 months the interaction involves both the mother and baby paying close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions

Tronick (1975) - reciprocity

• 'Still face experiment' - mother and child interact normally, and then the mother stops responding. When the mother does not respond, the baby becomes distressed, suggesting that when usual signs of attachment are broken, the baby becomes distressed

Interactional synchrony: mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a coordinated way;…