Dyadic synchrony: Its structure and function in children’s development☆
Section snippets
An introduction to the notion of dyadic synchrony
Synchrony-related constructs have been defined in the research literature in a variety of ways, most often in reference to mother–infant interaction. Constructs we consider close to our notion of synchrony include those that focus on mutual responsiveness, variously termed “reciprocal responsiveness” (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1974), “contingent responsivity” (Clarke-Stewart, 1973), “reciprocity” (Belsky, Rovine, & Taylor, 1984) “mutuality” or “mutual contingency” (Maccoby & Martin, 1983;
Structure of synchrony in infant–caregiver interactions
The majority of empirical and theoretical work relating to dyadic synchrony concerns infants in the first year of life and their mothers. Our reading of the literature concerning this era leads to the conclusion that infant-caregiver synchrony is a phenomenon that consists of three necessary components—a maintained, shared focus of attention, temporal coordination, and contingency—and is achieved primarily via attunement on the part of the caregiver.
Maintained engagement. Dyadic synchrony can
Is there synchrony beyond infancy?
One of the principal goals of this review is to consider whether the notion of dyadic synchrony is meaningful beyond the infancy era. We propose that synchrony remains a salient developmental construct, in the sense that children and caregivers can achieve an optimal interactional style that facilitates significant development within the child as well as in the caregiver–child relationship. We further suggest there is some continuity between its early and later structures and functions. For
Structure of synchrony in toddler–caregiver interactions
In the child’s toddler years, the structure of child–caregiver synchrony in many ways is similar to that in the infant period, in that it still involves prolonged, coordinated, and contingent interactions. However, we propose synchrony differs in at least two ways. First, the child becomes a more active interactional partner, with interactions taking on the appearance of a mutually affiliative dialogue. Second, caregivers use a broader array of information, scaffolding skills, and other
Dyadic synchrony in early childhood
As children get older, there is reason to believe dyadic synchrony still characterizes some interactions with caregivers. Additionally, as children’s social circles broaden, interactions with significant others such as siblings and friends may also be characterized as synchronous or nonsynchronous. There have been a few studies of the kind of synchrony we have been describing among adolescent and adult populations (e.g., Gross & McCallum, 2000), but these studies of older samples typically have
Issues for future research
There are gaps in the interactional style literature that should be addressed if the study of dyadic synchrony is to move beyond the infancy era in a systematic way. Several questions have already been raised in this review, such as whether synchrony is an all-or-none phenomenon vs. something that functions in a more continuous manner; whether synchronous interactions are purely dyadic vs. something where individual behaviors can meaningfully be disentangled; whether contingency is a central
Conclusion
Despite the field’s limitations, the evidence presented here suggests that synchrony represents a significant achievement of close dyadic relationships. The capacity to foster its emergence, prolong its duration, and engender its future reemergence may reflect a developmental milestone for child–caregiver dyads, one that looks and functions slightly differently yet is still significant at each early developmental period. Researchers and theorists are therefore encouraged to consider the nature
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The authors contributed equally to this manuscript. Appreciation is expressed to Rebecca S. Bigler, Inge Bretherton, Laura Hubbs-Tait, Ruth Joy-Bryant, Jacqueline Mize, Gregory S. Pettit, Patricia A. Self, and Robert G. Wahler for helpful comments at various stages of this project.