Predictability of parent interaction positively influences child’s development

Posted on September 21, 2019

A child’s attachment and ability to regulate emotions are built on a reasonably good interaction with their parents. The importance of the quality of interaction is emphasized during the first few years, when the child’s brain is still particularly sensitive to the effects of the environment. Enough predictability of the environment and interaction is thought to be an important factor in an infant’s brain development.

The method used can objectively calculate how predictable interaction patterns are formed from a parent’s single interaction signals. Its development was based on animal studies which showed that the predictability of interaction signals is connected to the development of the offspring’s brain.

The study shows that a higher predictability of the parent’s interaction signals is associated with the child’s ability to better control and regulate their own actions and emotions. On the other hand, poorly predictable or intermittent interactions were associated with a poorer self-regulation in the child. This study supports the idea that it is extremely important to have peaceful and uninterrupted moments of interaction with infants daily.

A parent’s own self-regulation and ability of settling into their infant’s early months is tied to their situation in life. It is especially important to study the unpredictability of the environment and its significance as interaction between the parent and infant is threatened by surprising interruptions, like pressure of being online all the time and stress factors related to a hectic lifestyle.


Category(s):Child Development

Source material from Science Daily