Attachment- Role Of The Father

Question 1

Grossman (2002)

Answer 1

P- longitudinal study on 44 families, studied the child’s attachment from 0-16. Assessed play sensitivity in toddlerhood using the Sensitive and Challenging Interactive Play Scale (SCIP)
F- Found the quality of play with fathers, not infant-father attachment, was related to the infants later attachments. The opposite was found for the mothers, play was not important but attachment to the infant was.

Question 2

Strengths of Grossman (2002)

Answer 2

Ecological validity (field experiment)

Question 3

Weaknesses of Grossman (2002)

Answer 3

Suggests fathers have no distinct role so secondary attachments are unimportant
Biological explanations could predispose women to be more caring, men more playful (hormones)

Question 4

How often was the father the primary attachment figure in Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 4

3%, but the secondary attachment formed with the father by 18 months in 75% of cases

Question 5

How does Schaffer and Emerson’s research link to Grossman (2002)

Answer 5

Schaffer and Emerson found the father was the primary attachment figure only 3% of the time. Grossman researched the role of the father, if it wasn’t to form a primary attachment with.

Question 6

Field (1978)

Answer 6

P- Filmed 4 month old babies interacting with their parents. Compared primary caregiver mothers with primary and secondary caregiver fathers.
F- Found primary caregiver fathers acted more as mothers, like spending more time smiling at and holding the child than secondary caregiver fathers.

Question 7

How does Field (1978) show how attachments are formed

Answer 7

It demonstrates that the key to attachment is not gender of the parent, or time spent with the infant, but the level of responsiveness from the parent.