Attachment Flashcards
Who developed the stages of attachment?
Schaffer + Emerson (1964)
How did Schaffer + Emerson (1964) investigate the formation of attachment within the first year of a child’s life?
Visited 60 babies in the Glasgow area every month and measured various behaviours inc separation protest, stranger anxiety.
-> proposed that attachments develop in 4 stages
Name the stages of attachment
Asocial stage
Indiscriminate attachment
Specific attachment
Multiple attachments
Stage 1 of attachment formation is called what? Develops when?
Asocial stage
Birth -> 2 months
Stage 2 of attachment formation is called what? Develops when?
Indiscriminate Attachment
2 months -> 7 months
Stage 3 of attachment formation is called what? Develops when?
Specific Attachment
7 months
Stage 4 of attachment formation is called what? Develops when?
Multiple Attachments
7+ months
Describe stage 1 of attachment
Birth-2 months : Asocial stage.
• Baby is recognising and forming bonds with carers.
• Similar behaviour towards humans and non-human objects.
• Baby shows some preference for the familiar adults -> these adults find it easier to calm the baby.
• Baby is happier in the presence of other humans as opposed to being alone.
Describe stage 2 of attachment
2-7 months : Indiscriminate Attachment.
• Baby displays more observable social behaviour.
• Show a preference for humans rather than inanimate objects -> prefer familiar adults.
• Accept comfort / cuddles from any adult.
• Do not show séparation protest / stranger anxiety.
Describe stage 3 of attachment
7 months : Specific Attachment.
• Start to display separation protest / stranger anxiety.
• Baby has formed specific attachments to primary care giver.
• Primary care giver isn’t necessarily who they spend most time with, but the one who offers most interaction / response to baby’s signals with most skill.
Describe stage 4 of attachment
7+ months : Multiple Attachments.
• Baby shows attachment behaviour towards other adults with whom they regularly spend time -> secondary attachments.
• By 1 year old 33% of children in Schaffer + Emerson’s study formed multiple attachments.
Define stages of attachment
A sequence of qualitatively different behaviours linked to specific ages.
Certain behaviours towards others change as the infant gets older.
Define multiple attachments
Attachments to two or more people.
Most babies develop these once they have formed one true attachment to a main care giver.
Define longitudinal study
A study which takes place over an extended length of time
Define sensitive responsiveness
When the care giver responds accurately to the baby’s signals
In Schaffer + Emerson’s (1964) study, what percentage of infants had their father as their main attachment figure?
3%
Give limitations with Schaffer + Emerson’s (1964) study of stages of attachment
Limited sample -> low population validity -> can’t generalise to total population.
Societal changes -> low temporal validity -> lot of change since 60s eg stay at home dads, day care as women prioritise careers.
What is a limitation with studying the asocial stage?
Babies at this age (0-2 months) are pretty much immobile -> difficult to observe and make judgements.
Why do we carry out studies of attachment on animals?
Attachent-like behaviour is common to a range of species -> animal studies can help us understand attachment in humans
Give strengths of animal studies on attachment
• Humans and monkeys are similar.
-> Green (1994) states that on a biological level, all mammals have the same brain structure.
• Practical application.
-> Harlow’s research -> implications for childcare, due to importance of early experiences of long term development.
Give weaknesses of animal studies on attachment
• Can’t generalise to humans.
-> unlikely that animals reflect the emotional connections / interaction of human attachments.
• Unethical.
-> argued that animals have a right not to be researched / harmed.
