Attachment - The role of the father Flashcards
What percentage of fathers was the first sole object of attachment?
3%
What percentage of cases was the father the joint first attachment with the mother?
27%
What percentage of babies studied by Schaffer and Emerson formed an attachment with their father by 18 months?
75%
What did Grossmann (2002) carry out?
A longitudinal study where babies’ attachments were studied until they were in their teens
What did the researchers look at?
Both parent’s behaviour and its relationship to the quality of their baby’s later attachments to other people
What was the quality of a baby’s attachment with mothers and not fathers related to?
Attachments with adolescents - this suggests that attachments to fathers is less important that attachment with mothers
What did Grossmann also found?
That the quality of father’s play with babies was related to the quality of adolescent attachments
What is the role of fathers?
Play and stimulation
What did Field (1978) do?
Filmed 4 month old babies in face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers
What is one limitation of the role of the father?
Confusion over research questions
What is the evaluation of the role of the father having confusion over research questions?
P: Lack of clarity over questions asked
E: researchers want to understand fathers in a secondary role
E: Researchers want to understand fathers in a primary role
E: former see fathers as having a distinct role
E: Latter see fathers as having a maternal role
L: Can’t offer a simple answer
What is another limitation of the role of the father?
Conflicting evidence
What is the evaluation of the role of the father having conflicting evidence?
P: Findings vary according to methodology used
E: Longitudinal studies label fathers as having a distinct role
E: McCallum and Golombok (2004)- children in lesbian relationships don’t develop differently
L: The question that fathers have a distinct role remain unanswered
What is one strength of the role of fathers?
Real world application