attachment: role of the father Flashcards
What percentage of babies first became attached to their father according to Schaffer and Emerson?
In only 3% of cases was the father the first sole object of attachment.
Majority of babies are attached to their mother at around 7 months
In what percentage of cases was the father the joint first object of attachment with the mother?
27%
This indicates that while mothers are typically the primary attachment figures, fathers can also play a significant role.
At what age do most babies form an attachment with their father according to Schaffer and Emerson?
By the age of 18 months
This shows that fathers can become important attachment figures over time.
What did Grossmann et al’s longitudinal study focus on?
The relationship between parents’ behavior and the quality of their babies’ later attachment to others > This study tracked babies’ attachments into their teenage years
This study tracked babies’ attachments into their teenage years.
What was found about the quality of babies’ attachment with mothers and fathers in relation to adolescent attachment?
Quality of attachment with mothers was related to attachment in adolescence, but not with fathers
This suggests that maternal attachment has a more lasting impact.
How did the quality of fathers’ play relate to adolescent attachment according to Grossmann et al?
Quality of fathers’ play was related to the quality of adolescent attachment
This implies that the father’s role may be significant in a different context.
What distinctive role do fathers have compared to mothers according to the research?
Involved more with play and stimulation rather than emotional development
This highlights the differences in parenting styles between fathers and mothers.
outline Field’s study
Field filmed** 4 month old babies** in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers,
secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver father
What did Field’s study reveal about primary caregiver fathers?
they spent more time smiling, imitating, and holding babies compared to secondary caregiver fathers
This suggests that primary caregiver fathers can be as emotionally engaged as primary caregiver mothers.
What potential do fathers have as attachment figures when they are primary caregivers?
To be more emotion-focused primary attachment figures
They can provide the responsiveness required for a close emotional attachment.
AO3: confusion over research
One limitation of research into the role of the father is lack of clarity over the question being asked.
The question of the role of the father is more complicated. Some researchers attempt to understand the role of the father as a secondary attachment figure but others are concerned with the father as a primary attachment figure
The first have tended to see fathers as behaving differently from mothers and having a distinct role. The latter has found fathers can take on a maternal role.
This is a weakness as it is difficult to draw conclusions about the role of the father as it depends on the specific role undertaken.
AO3: conflicting evidence
research is that it fails to explain why children without fathers are not different
Grossman found that fathers as secondary attachment figures had an important role in their children’s
development, involving play and stimulation
However, if fathers have a distinct role we would expect that children growing up in single-mother or lesbian-parent families would turn out different from those in two-parent heterosexual families.
McCallum and Golombok consistently show that these children do not develop differently from children in two-parent heterosexual families
This suggests the father does not have a distinctive role.
AO3: real life application
research can be used to offer advise to parents
Parents worry about who should take the role of primary caregiver. > Mothers may feel pressured into staying at home because of stereotypical views of mother and father’s role. Fathers may feel pressure to focus on work rather than parenting
Research into the role of the father can be used to offer reassuring advice to parents
For example, heterosexual families can be informed that fathers are capable of being the primary caregiver
For example, lesbian parents and single mother families can be informed that not having a father around does not affect the child
This means that parental anxiety about the role of the father can be reduced
