Attachment: Stages Of Attachment - MH Flashcards
Who carried out research on stages of attachment?
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?
In investigate the formation of early attachments, the age they develop and who they are directed to
The study by Schaffer and Emerson took place over a long period of time. What is the name for this?
Longitudinal study
What is a longitudinal study?
Research that has been carried out over a long period of time
Why was Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment longitudinal?
Babies and mothers were visited in their own home every month for the first year and then again at 18 months
What was the sample of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?
60 working class newborn babies and their mothers from Glasgow
How often were the babies and mothers observed?
Every month for the first year and then again at 18 months
Who was the sample of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?
60 working class newborn babies and their mothers from Glasgow
Where there the working class newborn babies and their mothers from?
Glasgow
What methods were used to explore the stages of attachment by Schaffer and Emerson?
Observations and Interviews
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?
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.
How did Schaffer and Emerson measure separation anxiety?
Infant being left alone in a room or researcher asking mother how the infant might react in this situation
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?
Separation anxiety
How did Schaffer and Emerson measure stranger anxiety?
The researcher started the home visit by approaching the infant to see if this distressed the child
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?
Stranger Anxiety
What are the 4 stages of attachment Schaffer and Emerson found in their research?
HINT: _A_n _I_nfant _S_mells _M_ilk
Asocial (first few weeks)
Indiscriminate (2 -7 months)
Specific (from around 7 months)
Multiple (Around 1 year old)
Babies behaviour to adults and inanimate
objects was similar
What stage of attachment is this?
Asocial (first few weeks)
What behaviour is displayed if an infant is in the Asocial stage of attachment?
Babies behaviour to adults and inanimate
objects was similar
What behaviour do infants show in the indiscriminate stage of attachment?
- preference to humans over inanimate objects
- do not show stranger or separation anxiety
Babies show a preference to people over
inanimate objects but usually do not show stranger or separation anxiety.
What stage of attachment is this?
Indiscriminate (2-7 months)
Babies start to form attachments and show separation and strangers anxiety when separated (particularly to the mother)
What stage of attachment is this?
Specific Attachment (from around 7 months)
what behaviour do infants show when they are in the specific stage of attachment?
- 7 months old - form attachments
- display separation and stranger anxiety - in 65% of cases to the mother
Infants form attachments to their father (75% by 18 months) and other caregivers e.g. grandparents.
What stage of attachment is this?
Multiple
What behaviour do infants display in the multiple attachment stage?
Infants form attachments to their fathers (75% by 18 months) and other caregivers e.g. grandparents.
How old are infants who are in the asocial stage of attachment?
A few weeks old
When infants are a few weeks old, which stage of attachment are they in?
Asocial
How old are infants who display behaviour of the indiscriminate stage of attachment?
2-7 months old
When infants are 2-7 months old, which stage of attachment are they in?
Indiscriminate
How old are infants when they begin to form specific attachments?
around 7 months
At around 7 months, what stage of attachment do infants show?
Specific attachment
How old are infants when they begin to form an attachment to their fathers?
18 months old (75% of infants)
At 18 months old, 75% of infants can form an attachment to who?
Their fathers
What did Schaffer and Emerson conclude about attachment?
Infants can form attachment in stages, multiple attachments can be formed.
AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment is praised for high ecological validity. Why?
They conducted observations in the families own home (realistic everyday environment)
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?
- higher ecological validity
- easier to generalise findings to real life examples of attachment
AO3: If Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment has high ecological validity, what validity does this increase?
External validity
AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research is prone to social desirability bias. Why is this?
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.
AO3: Interviews were used in Schaffer and Emerson’s research to gather information about the infants from their mothers. Why is this an issue?
It makes the research prone to social desirability bias
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?
Internal validity
AO3: Why are the interviews used by Schaffer and Emerson prone to social desirability?
The mothers may lie about their child’s behaviour to present their parenting in the best possible light.
AO3: Why is Schaffer and Emerson’s research Culture bias?
Sample from Glasgow (same city)
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?
Culture Bias
Schaffer and Emerson’s research was longitudinal. What does this mean?
The same children were followed up and observed regularly (every month for their first year of life).
AO3: Schaffer and Emerson’s research is a longitudinal study. Why is this a strength?
removes the confounding variable of individual differences between children
What is stage one and what behaviour can you expect to see from an infant in this stage?
Asocial - first few weeks. Infants behaviour to adults and inanimate objects is similar. However, infants are happier when in the presence of other humans.
What is stage two and what behaviour can you expect to see from an infant in this stage?
Indiscriminate (2-7 months) - infants show a preference to people over inanimate objects but usually do not show stranger or separation anxiety.
What is stage three and what behaviour can you expect to see from an infant in this stage?
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.
What is stage four and what behaviour would you expect to see from an infant in this stage?
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.
