attachment- Schaffers stages of attachment

Question 1

stage 1

Answer 1

-asocial stage
-first few weeks
-baby’s behaviour towards inanimate objects and people quite similar
-some preference for familiar people (more easily calmed by them)
-happier in the presence of other people

Question 2

stage 2

Answer 2

-indiscriminate attachment
-2-7 months
-display more observable social behaviour with a preference for people over inanimate objects
-recognise and prefer familiar people
-babies do not show stranger or separation anxiety
-attachment is indiscriminate as the same towards all

Question 3

stage 3

Answer 3

-specific attachment
-from around 7 months
-stranger anxiety and separation anxiety when separated from one particular person
-baby formed specific attachment to one primary attachment figure
-in most cases the person who offers the most interaction and responds to the baby’s ‘signals’ with the most skill (the mother in 65% of cases).

Question 4

stage 4

Answer 4

-secondary attachments with other adults form shortly after
-Schaffer and Emerson’s study, 29% of babies had secondary (multiple) attachments within a month of forming a primary (specific) attachment
-by age of one year the majority of infants had multiple secondary attachments

Question 5

procedure of Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Answer 5

-60 babies from Glasgow most from w/c families
-researchers visited babies and mothers every month for a year and again in 18 months
-separation anxiety measured by asking mothers about their children’s behaviour during everyday separations- i.e. adult leaving room
-stranger anxiety measured by asking mothers questions about their children’s anxiety response to unfamiliar adults.

Question 6

findings and conclusions of Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Answer 6

-babies developed attachments through a sequence of stages, from asocial through to a specific attachment to multiple
-specific attachment tended to be to the person who was most interactive and sensitive to babies’ signals and facial expressions (i.e. reciprocity)
-not necessarily the person the baby spent most time with

Question 7

ao3 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment: external validity

Answer 7

-most of observations (not stranger anxiety) were made by parents during ordinary activities and reported to researchers
-alternative would be to have observers present in the babies’ home. This may have distracted the babies or made them feel more anxious
-highly likely p’s behaved naturally while being observed

Question 8

ao3 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment: CA for external validity

Answer 8

-Mothers may have been biased in what they reported, e.g. they might not have noticed when their baby was showing signs of anxiety or may have misremembered it.
-even if babies behaved naturally, their behaviour may not have been accurately recorded.

Question 9

ao3 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment: poor evidence for asocial stage

Answer 9

-bc of their stage of physical development young babies have poor co-ordination and are fairly immobile
-makes it difficult for mothers to accurately report signs of anxiety and attachment for this age group
-babies may actually be quite social but, because of flawed methods, they appear to be asocial.

Question 10

ao3 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment: real-world application to day care

Answer 10

-early stages (asocial and indiscriminate attachments) babies can be comforted by any skilled adult.
-but if child starts day care later, during the stage of specific attachments, care from an unfamiliar adult may cause distress and longer-term problems
-means that S + E’s stages can help parents making day care decisions.