Attachment staffers stages of attachment

Question 1

Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment

Answer 1

 Schaffer & Emerson (1964)
 Aim: to investigate the formation of early attachments & the age at which they developed their emotional intensity and to whom they were directed.

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

This was an observational study that involved 60 babies (31 boys and 29 girls), all from skilled working-class families in Glasgow. Researchers visited the homes of these families every month for the first year, and then again at 18 months. They asked the mothers about protests that the babies made in seven everyday separations (e.g., mother leaving the room). This was to measure attachment. They also measured stranger anxiety – the babies’ reaction to unfamiliar people.

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

 50% of babies between 25-32 weeks old showed signs of separation anxiety to specific attachment figure.
 80% of babies at 40 weeks old had specific attachment & 30% displayed multiple attachments.

Question 4

Stage 1: Asocial Stage (first few weeks of life)

Answer 4

 Behaviour of the baby towards humans and inanimate objects are similar.
 However, Schaffer and Emerson believed that the baby’s still showed preference in being with certain people.
 The baby is forming bonds with certain people, forming the basis for future attachment.

Question 5

Stage 2: Indiscriminate attachment (2 to 7 months)

Answer 5

 Babies display more obvious and observable social behaviours.
 They now clearly prefer being with humans than inanimate objects.
 They recognize and prefer being with certain people.
 However, at this stage they accept affection from anyone; hence the term ‘indiscriminate’.
 They do not really show separation or stranger anxiety.

Question 6

Stage 3: Specific Attachment

Answer 6

 Babies start to show classic signs of attachment to people such as separation and stranger anxiety.
 Babies are said to have formed a specific attachment. The person who they form this attachment with is called the primary attachment figure.
 This is the person who offers most interaction and responds to the baby’s signals. 65% of the time, it’s the mother

Question 7

Stage 4: Multiple Attachments

Answer 7

 Babies extend this attachment behaviour to multiple people who spend a lot of time with them.
 These are called secondary attachments.
 29% of babies formed secondary attachments a month after forming a primary attachment.

Question 8

Strengths:

Answer 8

 They use real stimuli as opposed to artificial stimuli.
 Study has high external validity, particularly ecological validity.
 Longitudinal study: shows progression within a family.

Question 9

Weaknesses:

Answer 9

 Study asked mothers to observe baby behaviours and report back to research, bias because of demand characteristics?
 Babies tend to be anxious in most cases, so measures used to determine things like separation anxiety need to be specified more.
 Investigator effects: researchers might have used words that led to invalid information being given.
 Lacks population validity: families all from same culture, district, social class etc.
 Temporal validity: study was in the 60s in Glasgow, there may have been modern changes in behaviour/attitude.

Question 10

1. Asocial

Answer 10

0-8 weeks

• Behaviour between humans and non-human objects quite similar.
• Accept comfort from any adult.
• Recognise specific faces.
• Prefer faces to non-faces.
• Smile at anyone.

Question 11

1. Indiscriminate attachment

Answer 11

2-7 months
* Preference for people rather than inanimate objects.
* Happier in presence of humans than when alone.

Question 12

1. Specific attachment

Answer 12

7-12 months

• Primary attachment to one particular individual (the person who shows most sensitivity to their signals).
• Smile more at familiar than unfamiliar faces.
• Recognise and prefer familiar people.
• Preference for familiar individuals.

Question 13

1. Multiple attachment

Answer 13

1 year onwards

• Form secondary attachments with familiar adults with whom they spend time (e.g. father, grandparents).
• Use familiar adults as secure base.

Question 14

• Schaffer’s stages of development: summary

Answer 14

• Asocial stage: infant interacts with all humane and inanimate objects.
• Indiscriminate attachment: baby shows more observable social behaviours and clearly prefers humans.
• Specific attachment: baby shows clear attachment to other people through signs such as separation anxiety.
• Multiple attachments: baby starts to show attachments to more than one person (secondary attachments).