attachment - stages Flashcards
What did Schaffer and Emerson say about attachment?
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that infants tend to become attached to the mother first, then form attachments with other figures (such as the father) later on- usually by the age of 18 months.
Outline Schaffer and Emerson’s study into stages of attachment
Aim: To investigate the formation of early attachments
Procedure: 60 babies from Glasgow were assessed at regular intervals (longitudinal study) by asking the mothers questions about their behaviour when separated from the mother (separation anxiety), and towards strangers (stranger anxiety).
Findings: around half of the babies showed separation anxiety by the ages of 25-32 weeks. Attachment generally formed with the mother primarily (known as specific attachment), although the babies tended to become attached to the caregiver who responded most sensitively to them, rather than who they spent most time with. By 40 weeks, most babies had a specific attachment, and 30% had multiple attachments (to others, e.g. the father).
Conclusions: Infant attachments develop through a number of stages (proposed in the ‘seven stages of attachment’)
Evaluate Schaffer & Emerson’s study into the stages of attachment - natural
The observation was carried out by the parents whilst the babies were behaving naturally, meaning the research was high in external validity- it was measuring normal, everyday behaviour.
Evaluate Schaffer & Emerson’s study into the stages of attachment - population
The sample was limited- the babies were all raised in one area of Glasgow and were all from similar social backgrounds, meaning that the results may not be reflected in other areas (where child-rearing practices may be different). Also was in 1960s, more mothers work since then, so may lack temporal valisity.
Evaluate Schaffer & Emerson’s study into the stages of attachment - bias
Based on mother’s report – self report is not always reliable.
Social desirability bias – maybe they report in a way that makes them seem attached to appear like better mothers.
This challenges the validity of the results.
Outline the stages of infant attachment proposed by Schaffer & Emerson
Stage 1: Asocial: Babies recognise their carers, like the company of humans, but do not act much differently towards human than non-human objects.
Stage 2: Indiscriminate: From around 2-7 months old, babies start to prefer familiar adults, accept comfort from any adult, and show little or no stranger/separation anxiety.
Stage 3: Specific: From around 7 months, babies start to show stranger anxiety and anxiety when separated from one particular carer (usually the mother). This adult becomes the specific attachment figure, and is the person who responds most sensitively to the baby.
Stage 4: Multiple: Babies extend their attachment behaviour to other adults, forming multiple attachments. For most babies, this has happened by the time they are 1 year-old.
Evaluate the stages of attachment - accuracy
It is hard to judge behaviour in the very early stages, as there is little observable and recordable behaviour demonstrated by babies at this stage. Therefore, it is hard to test the accuracy of these stages.
Evaluate the stages of attachment - cultural
Some research suggests multiple attachments are formed after forming one attachment first, but other research (cross-cultural) suggests it is the other way round. This means the explanation of the attachment stages may not be true for all infants. Sagi et al – closeness of attachment is 2x as common in smaller families than communal cultures
