Attachment - the role of the father Flashcards
Primary attachment
Schaffer and Emerson found that the majority of babies became attached to their mother first (happens around 7 months)
3% of cases - fathers, first sole object of attachment
27% of cases - father, joint first object of attachment with mother
Secondary attachment
75% of babies studied an attachment was formed with the father by age of 18months
Indicated by the fact babies protested when their father walked away which is a sign of attachment
A distinctive role for the father (Grossmann)
Carried out a longitundinal study looking at parent’s behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachments into their teens
Found that the quality of attachment - father was less important for adolescent attachment than the quality of attachment with mother (father may therefore be less important in long term emotional development)
However what did Grossman also find?
The quality of father’s play with babies was related to quality of adolescent attachments
Suggesting fathers have a different role in attachment.
More to do with play and stimulation and less with emotional care
Fathers can be primary attachment figures according to? And what study did they carry out
Field filmed 4 month old babies and found primary care fathers, like mothers spent more time smiling and imitating and holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers
Adopting behaviours more typical of mothers
Behaviours related to interactional synchrony and formation of emotional attachment
Level of response is most important
Interactional synchrony is important in building an emotional attachment with a baby
Father can be the more ‘emotional’ attachment figure
Key to attachment relationship is level of responsiveness not the gender of pareny
A03:
One limitation is confusion over research
Some psychologists want to understand the role of fathers as secondary attachment figures. But others are concerned with fathers as a primary attachment figure.
Former has tended to see fathers as behaving differently from mothers and having a distinct role. Latter - found fathers can take on ‘maternal role’
A03:
One limitation is conflicting evidence from different methodologists
Grossmann suggested fathers have a distinct role in children’s development involving play and stimulation
However McCallum and Golombok - children without father do not develop differently
Meaning the question of whether fathers have distinctive role remains unanswered
A03:
One strength is using findings in parenting advice
Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home and fathers to focus on work. This may not be the best solution for all families
Research on flexibility of role of father, used to offer reassuring advice to parents
Meaning that parental anxiety about role of fathers can be reduced and parenting decision made easier
A03:
One strength is using findings in parenting advice
Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home and fathers to focus on work. This may not be the best solution for all families
Research on flexibility of role of father, used to offer reassuring advice to parents
Meaning that parental anxiety about role of fathers can be reduced and parenting decision made easier
A03:
Bias in the research
Preconceptions about how fathers behave are created by discussions about mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behaviour.
Stereotypes may cause observer bias and lead to inaccurate observations
Meaning observational studies of fathers may lack validity and conclusions cannot be trusted
