This supports the idea that behaviours are natural rather

CAREGIVER-INFANT INTERACTIONS A01

than learned.

Infancy is the period of a child’s lifer before speech begins.

Infant used to refer to the child’s first and sometimes
second year of life. Nonverbal communication is a key
interaction between the two, as they can form the entire
basis of the caregiver-infant attachment. The way they
respond to each other determines the formation of the
attachment- the more sensitive to signals, the deeper the
relationship.

Research in the 1970s show infants coordinated their

actions with caregivers. From birth babies move in rhythm
when interacting with adults – people carry this on in life
and even do this in conversation when leaning in to speak.
This is an example of reciprocity.
Brazelton (1979) claimed this rhythm is important for future
communications. The regularity of an infant’s signals allows
a caregiver to anticipate behaviour and respond
appropriately. The sensitivity to infant behaviour lays the
foundation for later attachment.

Interactional synchrony is a slightly different idea (first

studied by Meltzoff and Keith more in 1977). The study
used an adult model displayed facial expressions and hand
movements to a 2/3-week-old. A dummy was used to
prevent reaction at first, but once removed the infant
imitated the models’ actions.
Later (1983) they discovered the same synchrony with
infants only 3 days old. This led to the idea that the
imitation/behaviour was innate rather than learned.

Meltzoff and Moore proposed that this imitation is

intentional. Whilst Jean Piaget (1962) true imitation only
develops towards the end of the first year and anything
before is just an infant repeating a behaviour that was
rewarded (result of operant conditioning). In Piaget’s view
the infant is carrying out pseudo-imitation; the infant had
not consciously translated what they see into a matching
movement.
Evidence to support Meltzoff and Moore’s view was
presented by another study by Murray and Trevarthen
(1985). In the study 2-month-olds interacted via a monitor
with their mothers in real time, then with a tape so the
mother could not respond to any of the infant’s actions.
The result was acute distress as the infants tried to attract
the mother’s interest but turned away after gaining no
response. This shows the infants actively looking for
response rather than just displaying a rewarded action. This
demonstrates the infants active and intentional
participation in the mother-infant interaction.