Multiple attachments and the role of the father Flashcards
What number of mothers work in 2013?
5.3 million, making them far more likely to work
What percentage of single parents in the UK are male?
9%
What percentage of stay at home parents are male?
10%
What do children with secure attachments with their fathers go on to do?
Have better relationships with peers, less problem behaviours, can regulate their emotions illustrating the positive influence fathers can have on developmental outcomes
What do children without secure attachments with their fathers go on to do?
Less well at school and higher levels of risk-taking and aggression (especially in boys)
How are fathers important for mothers?
Supportive fathers provide mothers with much needed time away from childcare. This can reduce stress in mothers, improves self-esteem and ultimately improves a mothers relationship with her children
What did Hrdy (1997) find?
Suggested that fathers are less able than mothers to detect low levels of infant distress, which suggests males are less suitable as primary caregivers
What did Lamb (1987) find?
Fathers who became the primary caregivers develop more sensitivity to children’s needs which suggests that sensitive responsiveness isn’t a biological ability limited to women
What did Frodi (1978) find?
Showed videotapes of infants crying and found no differences in the physiological responses of men and women, suggesting that biological factors may not explain the gender differences in attachment relationships between parents and infants
What did Geiger (1996) find?
Fathers play interactions are more exciting and pleasurable than mothers, while mothers are more nurturing and affectionate which supports the idea of fathers being playmates rather than caregivers, complementing the mother and father’s role in the child’s development
