Caregiver-infant ineractions and stages

Question 1

Explain Schaffer and Emerson’s method to investigate attachment

Answer 1

They studied 66 working class Glaswegian babies and their families in a longitudinal study using naturalistic observations

Question 2

What are the strengths of longitudinal studies?

Answer 2

• They give us insights into how early experiences shape behaviour
• These lead to reliable results because researchers can establish whether particpant behaviours are consistent over time

Question 3

Mention the 4 stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson?

Answer 3

• Asocial Stage (0-6 weeks)
• Indiscriminate Attachments (6 weeks - 7 months)
• Specific Attachments (7-9 months)
• Multiple Attachments (10+ months)

Question 4

Describe the Asocial Stage

Answer 4

• No preference for any 1 person
• Similar responses to inanimate objects and humans

Question 5

Describe the Indsicriminate Attachment stage?

Answer 5

• No preferences
• Able to distinguish humans and inanimate objects
• Recognise familiar people
• Sociable

Question 6

Describe the Specific Attachment stage?

Answer 6

• Begin forming an attachment to a caregiver
• They present stranger and seperation anxiety when their attachment figure leaves

Question 7

Describe the Multiple Attachment Stage?

Answer 7

• Start to form secondary attachments to familar people

Question 8

How did parents in Schaffer and Emerson’s study create a long lasting attachment?

Answer 8

Using sensitive responsiveness to increase the strength of an attachment bond

Question 9

What do the stages of Schaffer and Emerson’s study suggest about attachments?

Answer 9

There is a biological influence in the formation of attachments because all the children experienced the stages at certain ages

Question 10

List the evaluations of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?

Answer 10

• Researchers are prone to observer bias
• Families may demonstrate social desirability bias
• However the study had high ecological validity because its a naturalistic observation

Question 11

Explain the 2 methods of sensitive responsiveness?

Answer 11

• Interactional synchrony - when baby and caregiver perform actions in time with each other
• Reciprocity - when the baby and cargiver take turns responding to each other in an interaction

Question 12

What is the supporting evidence for the 2 methods of sensitive responsiveness?

Answer 12

1) Condon and Sander
they studied the synchronization of babies and the speech patterns of adults and found infants move with the rhythm of adults (interactional synchrony)

2) Isabella
she studied the synchronization of mother and child and found a positive correlation between attachment strength and interactions

However it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between interactions and the strength of an attachment bond