Abstract
Introduction: The social context of childcare provides opportunities for infants to interact with others outside of the infant-parent dyad and mother-father-infant triad. While research has described some characteristics of infant-peer group behaviour in laboratory (Bradley & Smithson, 2017) and childcare settings (Pursi & Lipponen, 2020), little is understood about social development within groups.
Aim: This workshop will focus on how infants communicate and interact with other same-age children in childcare across the first two years of life, and what these communications/interactions mean for their social development in groups.
Material and Methods: Participants were 20 focus infants (aged 3-21 months), and four early childhood educators from two Australian childcare centres. An infant mental health approach was used to examine and understand infant-peer interactions through: (1) collection and microanalysis of 564 videos of infant triads (a third infant with an interacting-peer dyad) and; (2) 18 interviews that gathered educators’ thoughts and feelings about infants’ interactions through the psychoanalytic method of infant observation. Key concepts of infant social development, dynamic systems theory, and educators’ perceptions about infant behaviour were brought together to generate new understandings of infant sociality and social development in groups.
Results: Third infants’ communications and interactions consisted of: looking and approaching; pauses; changes in social position; breaking the interactions between their peers; and expressing themselves by vocalisations, touch, facial expressions, and simultaneous rhythmic interactions involving bodily movements, sound and shared emotion. In interviews, educators described third infants’ behaviour as a desire for connection, jealousy, and attempts to understand the relationship between their peers.
Conclusion: Infant-peer groups are open, flexible and dynamic linking systems consisting of fleeting group processes. Through these processes, infants learn about the relationships between their peers, the intentions of their play, and how to enter and sustain peer group play.
Bradley& Smithson (2017). Groupness in preverbal infants: Proof of concept. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 385. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00385
Pursi & Lipponen (2020). Creating and Maintaining Play Connection in a Toddler Peer Group. In Peer play and relationships in early childhood. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42331-5_7
Aim: This workshop will focus on how infants communicate and interact with other same-age children in childcare across the first two years of life, and what these communications/interactions mean for their social development in groups.
Material and Methods: Participants were 20 focus infants (aged 3-21 months), and four early childhood educators from two Australian childcare centres. An infant mental health approach was used to examine and understand infant-peer interactions through: (1) collection and microanalysis of 564 videos of infant triads (a third infant with an interacting-peer dyad) and; (2) 18 interviews that gathered educators’ thoughts and feelings about infants’ interactions through the psychoanalytic method of infant observation. Key concepts of infant social development, dynamic systems theory, and educators’ perceptions about infant behaviour were brought together to generate new understandings of infant sociality and social development in groups.
Results: Third infants’ communications and interactions consisted of: looking and approaching; pauses; changes in social position; breaking the interactions between their peers; and expressing themselves by vocalisations, touch, facial expressions, and simultaneous rhythmic interactions involving bodily movements, sound and shared emotion. In interviews, educators described third infants’ behaviour as a desire for connection, jealousy, and attempts to understand the relationship between their peers.
Conclusion: Infant-peer groups are open, flexible and dynamic linking systems consisting of fleeting group processes. Through these processes, infants learn about the relationships between their peers, the intentions of their play, and how to enter and sustain peer group play.
Bradley& Smithson (2017). Groupness in preverbal infants: Proof of concept. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 385. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00385
Pursi & Lipponen (2020). Creating and Maintaining Play Connection in a Toddler Peer Group. In Peer play and relationships in early childhood. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42331-5_7
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 122 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Jul 2023 |
| Event | 18th World Congress for the World Association for Infant Mental Health - Convention Centre Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Duration: 15 Jul 2023 → 19 Jul 2023 https://www.waimh2023.org/ https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/admin/files/349102430/waimh_2023_abstract_book_sunday_16th_july.pdf (Abstract book - Sunday) https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/admin/files/349102835/waimh_2023_abstract_book_tuesday_18th_july.pdf (Abstract book - Tuesday) |
Other
| Other | 18th World Congress for the World Association for Infant Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | Early relationships matter: advancing practice, policy and research in infant mental health |
| Country/Territory | Ireland |
| City | Dublin |
| Period | 15/07/23 → 19/07/23 |
| Other | The Irish Association for Infant Mental Health (I-AIMH) is delighted to invite you to Save the Date to participate in the 18th World Congress of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH). Scheduled for 15-19 July 2023, it will be held at the Convention Centre Dublin, situated in the heart of Ireland’s beautiful capital city. The COVID pandemic has brought significant changes across the world and also denied WAIMH members those much desired reunions. However, we are a strong, resilient international community, and as the Irish proverb goes, ‘Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine’: through the shelter of each other, people survive. The Dublin Congress aims to provide an in-person stimulating and engaging environment for WAIMH delegates – it will be a truly memorable experience. Following in the footsteps of previous WAIMH congresses, mutual exchanges that cross interdisciplinary boundaries will be at the heart of the 2023 programme. We look forward to extending a warm invitation to our infant mental health colleagues across the world to share the latest scientific research, clinical experiences, scientific knowledge and cultural perspectives on a global scale. Register your interest on the Congress website and we will make sure you are kept updated with the latest Congress news, programme information and links to submit abstracts and register. |
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