In this present study the monitoring pattern of social interactions of one year old infants of more sensitive mothers and less sensitive mothers is investigated. The study is guided by the...Show moreIn this present study the monitoring pattern of social interactions of one year old infants of more sensitive mothers and less sensitive mothers is investigated. The study is guided by the following main question: ‘Is maternal sensitivity related to the monitoring pattern of social interactions of one year old infants?’ The sample consisted of thirty-eight 12-month-old infants and their mothers. An eye-tracking experiment was carried out in which we measured infants’ monitoring pattern of social interactions. The eye-tracking stimuli consisted of an animated movies in which a social interaction between two geometric figures, a small and a big oval shape, is showed. The animated movies consisted of four segments, which are start, uphill, separation and response. In half of the movies a crying sound can be heard, while in the other half of the movies a laughing sound can be heard. There are four different animated movies, the responsive crying movie, the responsive laughing movie, the unresponsive crying movie and the unresponsive laughing movie. Supported by the sensitivity theory of Ainsworth, which states that mothers’ responses to their infants’ signals influence children’s development and supported by Bowlby’s theory of internal working models, in which the relationship with a primary caregiver influence how we understand the social world around us, it is hypothesized that infants of more sensitive mothers may show differences in their monitoring pattern of social interactions, while infants of less sensitive mothers do not show similar differences. Thus, it is hypothesized that maternal sensitivity can influence infants processing of social interactions. Maternal sensitivity was measured based on three different episodes, using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale. Results suggested that, in the separation part of the observed movies, the overall attention of infants of less sensitive mothers declined across the repetition of the presentation during the unresponsive movies but not during the responsive movies. Furthermore, infants of less sensitive mothers looked longer at the first four movies than infants of more sensitive mothers, while in the second four movies there was no such difference. We also found in the response part of the observed movies, that the overall attention of infants of less sensitive mothers declined across the repetition of the presentation during the unresponsive crying and responsive crying movies, while infants of more sensitive mothers did not show this decline. Limitations, strong aspects and recommendation for further research are discussed.Show less
