Multiple attachments and role of the father AO1

Question 1

What does Bowlby think the role of the father is?

Answer 1

• can fill a role similar to mother’s (though it is uncommon)
• more of a play companion than a primary care giver

Question 2

What does Schaffer and Emerson think the role of the father is?

Answer 2

• the role of the father is important but isn’t as important as the mother’s
• they are not primary care givers as majority of infants formed the attachment with after mother and around the time as other family members

Question 3

What does Grossman think the role of the father is?

Answer 3

father’s role is more to do with play and stimulation, not necasserily nurturing

he found this through a longitudinal study following children to teens

Question 4

What does Feild think the role of the father is?

Answer 4

role of the father is the same as the mother, determined by the level of receptiveness with the infant

Question 5

Explain Field’s study on the role of the father.

Answer 5

• he filmed 4 month old babies interaction with primary caregiver mother, father and secondary caregiver mother
• they found that both the primary caregiver mother and father were smiling,inmitating and holding infants more than the secondary caregiver father
• this shows that responsiveness it what determines the attachment not gender