father and infant attachments

Question 1

who researched fathers as primary attachment figures

Answer 1

Field

Question 2

briefly explain Fields study

Answer 2

filmed 4 month olds in face to face interactions with primary and secondary caregiver mothers and fathers. the interactions are all part of reciprocity and interactional synchrony as attachment forms.
this captured primary caregivers spending more time with babies than secondary caregiver fathers.

Question 3

conclusions of Fields study

Answer 3

fathers have the potential to adopt a more motherly emotionally focused primary attachment but only when given the primary caregiver label.

Question 4

who researched the distinctive role of fathers

Answer 4

Grossman

Question 5

briefly explain Grossmans study

Answer 5

longitudinal study of babies attachments until they were teen. researchers looked at both parents behaviour and relationship to the quality of the babys attachment later on.

Question 6

conclusions of Grossmans study

Answer 6

quality of baby attachment with fathers was related to adolecent attachment so their attachment is less important and a role to do more with play and stimulation

Question 7

who researched into attachment to fathers

Answer 7

Schaffer and Emerson

Question 8

briefly explain Schaffer and Emmersons conclusions from attachments to fathers

Answer 8

-found infants first became attached to mothers at 7 months, in 27% of cases father was the joint first object of attachment with mum but in only 3% was a father the first sole object
-discovered 75% of babies after 18 months formed attachments with their father, shown by protesting if their father walked away

Question 9

one strength of research into the role of fathers (evaluation)

Answer 9

can be used to offer reassuring advice to parents because it shows that primary caregivers can be fathers so a mum doesn’t need to be present. Also for those of single parent or lesbian families, it means their childrens development won’t be affected due to not having a father present.

Question 10

one limitation of research into the role of fathers (evaluation)

Answer 10

finding vary of the role based between methodology used. Grossman’s longitudinal study showed fathers (as a secondary attachment figure) to have a distinctive roles in a child’s development. However this would be incorrect because that would mean single parent and lesbian families babies would act different to those who come from hetero families.