Attachment : Stages Of Attachment Flashcards
What is a Strength of Schaffers research into the stages of attachment?
Schaffers research into the stages of attachment was a longitudinal design. In selecting this design, Schaffer and Emerson avoided using a cross-sectional design , which would have required they study different participants for each stage. The use of a longitudinal design meant the experiment controlled for individual differences, meaning any individual differences could be attributed to the age of the infants rather than the individual characteristics of the infants. The use of longitudinal design therefore improved the internal validity of Schaffers study.
What is an issue with Schaffers research?
There are issues with the external validity of Schaffers research into the stages of attachment. It was conducted in 1964 on a sample of 60 babies and their mothers, all from Glasgow and all from a working class background. An issue with generalising the findings from this study to the general population is the sample size of 60 isn’t very large, and so may not be representative of all infants. Similarly, the sample comes from a very specific cultural background, also meaning it is an unrepresentative sample. Finally, since the study was conducted in 1964, we know there have been significant cultural differences changes in the way children are bought up (e.g more working mothers and technology improvements). This may mean Schaffers findings may not generalise to presents day infants and their caregivers, meaning this study may lack temporal validity.
What is a challenge for Schaffers claims about the development of multiple attachments?
For example, Sagi found that infants raised in communal environments skipped the specific attachment stage and went straight to multiple attachment. This finding challenges Schaffers research, as Schaffer argued that infants only develop multiple attachments after first developing a specific attachment. This finding suggests that cultural practices play an important role in how infants develop in terms of their attachment. Schaffer had presented his theory of stages of attachment as universal, meaning her thought it applied to infants everywhere. However, by failing to take account of cultural context, his research could be challenged as being culturally biased, as he assumed what was true of his own cultural context would automatically apply to the development of attachment in infants from other cultural backgrounds.
Outline Schaffers study.
> Schaffers team of researchers (1964) studied infants and their mothers at monthly intervals for the first 18 months of the infants life (longitudinal design).
Schaffer collected the data using observations, interviews and analysis of diaries kept by mothers.
Schaffer assessed the extent to which the infants had developed an attachment using several measures : Stranger Anxiety, Separation anxiety and social referencing.
He concluded that infants develop over a series of four sequential stages.
What is the Asocial stage?
> Age: Birth until 2 months
In this stage, infants initially show similar behaviour towards humans and non-human objects. But the progress to showing preference to people and social stimuli (e.g smile).
What is Indiscriminate Attachment?
> Age : 2-7 months
In this stage infants show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects but they don’t display stranger anxiety or separation anxiety, indicating they haven’t developed an attachment to specific individuals.
What is Specific Attachment?
> Age: 7 months onwards
• In this stage, infants show special preference for a single attachment figure. The baby looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection. It spends more time looking at this person (social referencing) and will show stranger anxiety and separation anxiety.
What is Multiple Attachments?
> Age: 10 months onwards.
In this stage, attachment behaviours are displayed towards several different people e.g siblings, grandparents etc.
The multiple attachments formed by most infants vary in their strength and importance to the infant. Attachments are often structured in a hierarchy, whereby an infant may have formed three attachments but one may be stronger than the other two, and one may be weakest.
What is a Cross Sectional Study?
Different groups (eg. Group 1, Group 2 & Group 3) are compared at the same time.
What is a Longitudinal Study?
The same group is compared over time. (Eg. Group 1 — month 1 , Group 1 — month 2 , Group 1 — month 3)
What is Stranger Anxiety?
A fear response to strangers.
What is Separation Anxiety?
Distress experienced from an Infant when separated from a carer.
What is Social Referencing?
How much an infant looks a carer.
