Attachment - Stages of attachment

Question 1

What are multiple attachments?

Answer 1

Attachments to 2 or more people. Research has shown that most babies are able to form multiple attachments once they have formed specific attachments their main caregiver.

Question 2

What was Shaffer and Emerson study into stages of attachment?

Answer 2

Naturalistic observation.
Longitudinal research took place in Glasgow.
Sample of 60 infants from working class families aged between 5 to 23 weeks.

Observed every four weeks until one years old and observed again, it’s 18 months. Each visit mother reported infants separation protest in seven every day situation. Mother rated intensity of protest on a four point scale. Strange anxiety measured by assessing infants response to the interviewer at each visit.

Question 3

What were the findings of Shaffer and Emerson study into stages of attachment?

Answer 3

• Within one month of first becoming attached 29% of infants had multiple attachments.
  – Within six months this had risen to 78% of infants having multiple attachments.
  – Most infants maintained one principal object of attachment.
  – The primary object of attachment was not always the one who fed and bathed the infant as 39% of infants attached to someone else.

Question 4

What was the conclusion of Shaffer and Emerson’s study into stages of attachment?

Answer 4

Responsiveness appeared to be the key to attachment; intensely attached infants had mothers who responded quickly infants who were weakly attached had mothers who failed interact.

Shaffer and Emerson reported that there were little relationship between the times spent together and attachment.

Question 5

What are the four stages of attachment?

Answer 5

Asocial
Indiscriminate
Specific
Multiple

Question 6

When does the asocial stage occur and what happens?

Answer 6

0-2 months old.
Beginning to show preference for social stimuli versus inanimate objects.

Question 7

When and what happens during the indiscriminate stages of attachment?

Answer 7

4+ months.
Increasingly social, distinguish familiar people. Little stranger anxiety.

Question 8

What is the specific stage of attachment?

Answer 8

7+ months.
Separation protest towards one person, joy at reunion and most comforted by this person. Stranger anxiety shown. In 65% this was the mother, a further 27% had joint attachment to mother and father.

Question 9

When and what are multiple attachments?

Answer 9

within 1 year.
29% of infants had at least one other attachment, within 6 month this rose to 78%. Depends on how many consistent relationships there are.

Question 10

What is a limitation of Schaffer & Emerson research?

Answer 10

Results may have been affected by social desirability bias - Schaffer and Emerson interviewed the moths about their children and some of them may not have reported accurate details about their children in order to appear like better mothers - which could case a bias in the data that would reduce the validity of the finding since natural behaviour will not have been recorded about the stages of attachment - there are always methodological issues with collecting data as they are limited to observations and self-reports.

Question 11

A limitation of Schaffer and Emerson is that it lacks population validity evaluate this.

Answer 11

Lacks population validity due to the limited sample in the research - sample consisted of 60 working class family’s from Glasgow who may form different attachments compared to wealthy families from other countries - There may be specific issues with social deprivation e.g. poverty and mental health can mean the results aren’t generalisable to other populations - we are unable to generalise the result of this study as their behaviour might not be comparable.

Question 12

What is a strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s study into stages of attachment?

Answer 12

Useful practical applications - if a baby is still in childcare setting in the early stages babies can be comforted by any skilled adult - however if a child starts daycare later such as the specific stages are attachment, they would benefit from a key worker as they may get distressed with an unfamiliar adult - therefore the findings have practical value in the world and can help with childcare decision for parents.

Question 13

What would the role of the father have traditionally been?

Answer 13

Limited as they would go to work and provide resources for the family while the mothers took care of the children.

Question 14

What did Shaffer and Emerson find about the role of the father?

Answer 14

The father is the primary attachment figure. (3%)
75% of babies had informed attachment with their father by 18 months.
Babies are attached the adult that is most responsive their needs.

Question 15

What is the biological difference between mothers and fathers?

Answer 15

Women have oestrogen and oxytocin which promotes caring and empathy behaviours.
Whereas men have testosterone which promotes aggression.

Question 16

What is a social differences between mothers and fathers?

Answer 16

Father lack emotional sensitivity.

Question 17

What does research suggest about the father’s role?

Answer 17

They act more as a playmate.

They are more physically active playful and provide more challenging situation which helped develop problem-solving skills.

Question 18

Give a peel point on research that others are able to form secure attachments

Answer 18

Research suggest that fathers are able to form secure attachments with their children if they are in an intimate or marriage - Belksy et al that males who reported higher levels of marital intimacy also displayed a secure father infant attachment ( vice versa ) - this suggest that males can secure attachments with their children however the strength of the attachment depends on the father and the mother relationship - therefore while males may be biologically determined to form a different relationship this relationship is mediated by their environment suggesting their role is determined to an extent so a softer view of determinism is appropriate.

Question 19

What is the research evidence suggesting the father’s role is a playmate? PEEL

Answer 19

Research evidence that provides support for the role of the father as a playmate - research by Geiger found that Fathers play interactions were more exciting in comparison to mothers mothers play interactions were more affectionate and nurturing - suggesting that the role of the father is in fact a playmate and not a sensitive parent who responds to the needs of their children - these results also confirmed that the mother may take on a more nurturing bowl and shows them may be biological explanations between the gender roles.

Question 20

What is the evidence to suggest that fathers do not provide a sensitive nurturing attachment?

Answer 20

Evidence also suggests that fathers do not provide a sensitive and nurturing attachment - Hardy the fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress in comparison to mothers. This result appears to support the biological explanations; the lack of oestrogen in men means that fathers are not biologically equipped to form close attachments with their children -suggesting that the role of the father is to some extent biologically determined and their role is restricted - providing further evidence that fathers are not able to provide a sensitive and nurturing type of attachment as they are unable to detect distress in their children and therefore are less likely to be the primary caregiver.