Mother/infant communicative complex system: Analysis of interactive, attuned behaveoural patterns from 2 to 7 months

In this study we treat about early mother-infant interactions. Communication is considered like a co-regulated, continuous process, in which both mother and infant are dynamically involved to build interactive and syntonic behavioural patterns. We videotaped 15 mother-child dyades during a 3–minutes free play situation at 2,5 months and at 7 months; then we coded these interactions frame-by-frame using a PC program (Theme 97), in order to look for a kind of interactive behavioural temporal patterns. Our data were organized to observe: 1) child’s interactive skills at two different ages, in particular child’s abilities to start a communicative sequence; 2) mother’s role in co-regulated processes; 3) the main complex patterns, to research child’s agency-intentionality early forms. Our results confirm that child has an active role in building communicative processes yet at 2,5 months (children begin 42% of interactions at this age, 46,9% at 7 months). Mothers change their behavioural patterns at different ages: maternal behaviours decrease in order to substain children’s evolution. We found complex and recurrent interactional patterns both at 2,5 and at 7 months. Mother and child use specific behavioural patterns for each age; comparing these patterns, we found that they are different in length but not in complexity. On these basis we can support that communication is a complex process from its beginning.