Enhancing Sensitive Parenting: Comparing Narration and Behavioural Mirroring Strategies in Mother–Infant Interactions

Despite extensive research on caregiver sensitivity interventions, the specific behavioural mechanisms underlying their effectiveness remain unclear. The present study isolates these mechanisms by testing whether brief instructions to narrate or behaviourally mirror infant behaviours can immediately improve caregiver sensitivity. Mothers–infant dyads ( N = 129, 85% White, 4% Hispanic or Latine; infants aged 6 months) participated in a 10‐min ‘free play’ interaction coded for caregiver sensitivity. Prior to the final 2 min, mothers were randomly assigned to ‘narrate’ or ‘mirror’ their infant's behaviours, or to a control condition. Analyses of within‐person changes in sensitivity revealed that mothers instructed to ‘narrate’ were more sensitive after receiving these instructions than before. In contrast, mothers instructed to ‘mirror’ were less sensitive after receiving the instructions than before. Mothers assigned to the control group showed no change in sensitivity. These findings show narration can improve sensitivity while mirroring may be counterproductive with preverbal infants.