Attachment: Stages Of Attachment - 24/25 Flashcards

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1
Q

Who carried out research on stages of attachment?

A

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

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2
Q

What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?

A

In investigate the formation of early attachments, the age they develop and who they are directed to

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3
Q

The study by Schaffer and Emerson took place over a long period of time. What is the name for this?

A

Longitudinal study

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4
Q

What is a longitudinal study?

A

Research that has been carried out over a long period of time

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5
Q

Why was Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment longitudinal?

A

Babies and mothers were visited in their own home every month for the first year and then again at 18 months

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6
Q

What was the sample of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?

A

60 working class newborn babies and their mothers from Glasgow

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7
Q

How often were the babies and mothers observed?

A

Every month for the first year and then again at 18 months

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8
Q

Who was the sample of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?

A

60 working class newborn babies and their mothers from Glasgow

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9
Q

Where there the working class newborn babies and their mothers from?

A

Glasgow

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10
Q

What methods were used to explore the stages of attachment by Schaffer and Emerson?

A

Observations and Interviews

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11
Q

AO3: Schaffer and Emerson observed and interviewed the mothers for their research into stages of attachment - why might this data collection method be problematic and why?

A

Social desirability bias - the mothers may have wanted to paint themselves in a good light and look like good parents. This may mean that they said the child is more distressed upon separation that they actually were.

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12
Q

How did Schaffer and Emerson measure separation anxiety?

A

Infant being left alone in a room or researcher asking mother how the infant might react in this situation

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13
Q

In Schaffer & Emerson’s research infants were left alone in a room or the researcher asked the mother how an infant may react in this situation.

What was this measuring?

A

Separation anxiety

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14
Q

How did Schaffer and Emerson measure stranger anxiety?

A

The researcher started the home visit by approaching the infant to see if this distressed the child

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15
Q

In Schaffer and Emerson’s research, the researcher started the home visit by approaching the infant to see if this caused distress to the child.

What was this measuring?

A

Stranger Anxiety

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16
Q

What are the 4 stages of attachment Schaffer and Emerson found in their research?

HINT: _A_n _I_nfant _S_mells _M_ilk

A

Asocial (first few weeks)

Indiscriminate (2 -7 months)

Specific (from around 7 months)

Multiple (Around 1 year old)

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17
Q

Babies behaviour to adults and inanimate
objects was similar

What stage of attachment is this?

A

Asocial (first few weeks)

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18
Q

What behaviour is displayed if an infant is in the Asocial stage of attachment?

A

Babies behaviour to adults and inanimate
objects was similar

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19
Q

What behaviour do infants show in the indiscriminate stage of attachment?

A
  • preference to humans over inanimate objects
  • do not show stranger or separation anxiety
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20
Q

Babies show a preference to people over
inanimate objects but usually do not show stranger or separation anxiety.

What stage of attachment is this?

A

Indiscriminate (2-7 months)

21
Q

Babies start to form attachments and show separation and strangers anxiety when separated (particularly to the mother)

What stage of attachment is this?

A

Specific Attachment (from around 7 months)

22
Q

what behaviour do infants show when they are in the specific stage of attachment?

A
  • 7 months old - form attachments
  • display separation and stranger anxiety - in 65% of cases to the mother
23
Q

Infants form attachments to their father (75% by 18 months) and other caregivers e.g. grandparents.

What stage of attachment is this?

A

Multiple

24
Q

What behaviour do infants display in the multiple attachment stage?

A

Infants form attachments to their fathers (75% by 18 months) and other caregivers e.g. grandparents.

25
Q

How old are infants who are in the asocial stage of attachment?

A

A few weeks old

26
Q

When infants are a few weeks old, which stage of attachment are they in?

A

Asocial

27
Q

How old are infants who display behaviour of the indiscriminate stage of attachment?

A

2-7 months old

28
Q

When infants are 2-7 months old, which stage of attachment are they in?

A

Indiscriminate

29
Q

How old are infants when they begin to form specific attachments?

A

around 7 months

30
Q

At around 7 months, what stage of attachment do infants show?

A

Specific attachment

31
Q

How old are infants when they begin to form an attachment to their fathers?

A

18 months old (75% of infants)

32
Q

At 18 months old, 75% of infants can form an attachment to who?

A

Their fathers

33
Q

What did Schaffer and Emerson conclude about attachment?

A

Infants can form attachment in stages, multiple attachments can be formed.

34
Q

AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment is praised for high ecological validity. Why?

A

They conducted observations in the families own home (realistic everyday environment)

35
Q

AO3: Schaffer and Emerson conducted their research through observations in the families own homes during ordinary daily activities within the home.

Why is this a strength of the research?

A
  • higher ecological validity
  • easier to generalise findings to real life examples of attachment
36
Q

AO3: If Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment has high ecological validity, what validity does this increase?

A

External validity

37
Q

AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research is prone to social desirability bias. Why is this?

A

Interviews were used to gather information about the child’s behaviour/attachments and mothers may have wanted to show themselves in a good light. This may mean they said their children were more distressed on separation than they actually were.

38
Q

AO3: Interviews were used in Schaffer and Emerson’s research to gather information about the infants from their mothers. Why is this an issue?

A

It makes the research prone to social desirability bias

39
Q

AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research is prone to social desirability bias.

Does this reduce the internal validity or the external validity of the research?

A

Internal validity

40
Q

AO3: Why are the interviews used by Schaffer and Emerson prone to social desirability?

A

The mothers may lie about their child’s behaviour to present their parenting in the best possible light.

41
Q

AO3: Why is Schaffer and Emerson’s research Culture bias?

A

Sample from Glasgow (same city)

42
Q

A03: The sample from Schaffer and Emerson’s research included 60 working class newborn babies and their mothers from Glasgow. Why is this an issue?

A

Culture Bias

43
Q

Schaffer and Emerson’s research was longitudinal. What does this mean?

A

The same children were followed up and observed regularly (every month for their first year of life).

44
Q

AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research is a longitudinal study. Why is this a strength?

A

removes the confounding variable of individual differences between children

45
Q

What is stage one and what behaviour can you expect to see from an infant in this stage?

A

Asocial - first few weeks. Infants behaviour to adults and inanimate objects is similar. However, infants are happier when in the presence of other humans.

46
Q

What is stage two and what behaviour can you expect to see from an infant in this stage?

A

Indiscriminate (2-7 months) - infants show a preference to people over inanimate objects but usually do not show stranger or separation anxiety.

47
Q

What is stage three and what behaviour can you expect to see from an infant in this stage?

A

Specific - from around 7 months infants start to form attachments and show separation and stranger anxiety when separated from their primary caregiver. In 65% of cases, the specific attachment was with the mother.

48
Q

What is stage four and what behaviour would you expect to see from an infant in this stage?

A

Within 1 month of forming a specific attachment, 29% of children formed multiple attachments. By 1 year most infants had multiple attachments. At 18 months, 75% of children had an attachment with their father.