Attachment figures Flashcards
Schaffer and Emerson
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found majority of babies became attached to their mother first (at around 7 months)
In 75% of cases, the infant had formed an attachment with the father by 18 months old
Infants protested when father walked away, a sign of attachment
Field
Compared the behaviours of primary caretaker mothers with primary and secondary caretaker fathers.
Filmed infants at 4 months of age in face to face interaction with the caregiver
Primary caretaker fathers behavior was similar to mother’s: more smiling and imitation than secondary caretaker fathers
Field findings
Fathers can be the more nurturing attachment figure, key to attachment is level of responsiveness, not gender
Grossman (2002): longitudinal study
Behaviour of both mother and father and how that behavior affected the quality of children’s attachment in their teens
Grossman findings
quality of infant attachment to mothers was related to children’s attachments in adolescence
Quality of fathers attachment to child when younger was not related to the children’s attachment in adolescence
Suggested that the earlier attachment to the father was less important than that of mother
But! Quality of father’s play (specifically) was related to quality of attachment in adolescence
Suggests father’s role is to do with play and stimulation rather than nurturing
Brown et al
father involvement
paternal sensitivity
father−child attachment security
at
13 months and 3 years of age.
Brown et al findings
Involvement and sensitivity influenced father−child attachment security at age 3.
Therefore, father’s behavior did matter
Oxytocin
Enhanced by oestrogen and causes to be more nurturing and caring
Maccallum and Golombok
25 lesbian mother families +38 single mother families compared with 38 straight families.
MacCallum and Gollombok 2004 found children growing up in single or same sex families do not develop any differently to those in heterosexual families
