attachment - Schaffer's stages of attachment

Question 1

who researched and proposed the 4 stages?

Answer 1

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 2

what are the 4 stages?

Answer 2

asocial stage

indiscriminate attachment

specific attachment

multiple attachments

Question 3

asocial stage

Answer 3

behaviour towards humans and inanimate objects is largely similar

not entirely asocial - show preference for being with other people

tend to show preference for familiar people

form bonds that are the basis for later attachment

Question 4

indiscriminate attachment

Answer 4

age 2-7 months

show clear preference for humans rather than inanimate objects

recognise and prefer company of familiar people

accept comfort from anyone

Question 5

specific attachment

Answer 5

from around 7 months old

attachment to primary attachment figure - separation and stranger anxiety

Question 6

who is the primary attachment figure?

Answer 6

person who offers the most interaction

also has emotional significance, forms basis for later close emotional relationships

Question 7

multiple attachments

Answer 7

form secondary attachments with other people they regularly spend time with

29% formed secondary attachment within a month of forming primary attachment

1 year old - most had formed multiple attachments

Question 8

strength - external validity

Answer 8

babies act more naturally as they’re observed by mothers rather than researcher - may have distracted or made them anxious

counterpoint - mothers unlikely to be objective - bias, could not notice or misremember behaviours

Question 9

strength - real-world application

Answer 9

use of daycare can be planned using stages of attachment

daycare would be straightforward in asocial and indiscriminate, but would then be problematic in specific

Question 10

limitation - poor evidence for asocial stage

Answer 10

babies lack co-ordination and are largely immobile so may not have been able to express anxiety or attachment