Final answer:
Premature babies often face challenges in developing mutuality with caregivers due to underdeveloped senses and the need for medical care, which may impede their ability to recognize and respond to their caregiver's voice or face and delay forming a trusting attachment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Special characteristics of premature babies, such as underdeveloped senses and a need for more intensive medical care, can challenge the development of mutuality with the caregiver. Due to their early birth, premature babies might have less developed sensory abilities, impacting their capacity to recognize and respond to their caregiver's voice or face compared to full-term infants.
Vision, hearing, and smell are critical for newborns to form connections with their caregivers. While full-term babies show a preference for human faces and voices, especially their mother's, premature infants may require a longer time to develop these preferences because of their developmental immaturity. These differences can make it difficult for premature babies to communicate their needs and to engage in the mutual exchanges that foster attachment. Additionally, early medical interventions and possible separation from the caregiver can further delay the development of a trusting relationship built on consistent and sensitive responses to the baby's needs, as outlined by Erikson's trust versus mistrust stage of development.