Role of the father

Question 1

when do babies attach to their father

Answer 1

Schaffer and Emerson found babies form specific attachment by 7 months old however only 3% of the time was this attachment with the father
-75% of babies showed attachment to their father by 18 months old

Question 2

Grossman study into role of the father

Answer 2

-Longitudinal studies, babies observed until their teens

• Quality of attachment was related to quality of attachment to mother during adolescence

-Quality of play was related to quality of attachment to fathers during adolescence

-Suggests fathers play a different role in attachment related to play/stimulation

Question 3

Field study into role of the father

Answer 3

-4 months old with primary caregiver as the father
-Found fathers who acted as primary caregiver spent more time smiling, holding and imitating their infants
-Shows that fathers can provide the kind of responsiveness that is needed for a close emotional attachment

Question 4

evals

Answer 4

strength for the theory of the role of the father as a playmate is that there is research support for the idea that they are important for stimulation. Geiger found that fathers play scenarios were more exciting for the children in comparison to those of mothers, mothers play was more focused on nurture and affection. This is a strength as it supports the idea that the father takes on a more stimulation based role for the baby and further suggest the father is a better providing excitement and play than mothers

Question 5

evals

Answer 5

One weakness of the idea of fathers being able to adapt to a nurturing role as a parent is conflicting research. Hardy found the fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress than mothers, going on to suggest that this is due to a lack of oestrogen in men, and that fathers are not not biologically equipped to form close attachments with their children. This is a weakness is it contradicts the theory that fathers may provide responsiveness required for close emotional attachment as there is no clear research findings that suggest for this may adapt to a nurturing roll.

Question 6

evals

Answer 6

One strength of the idea that fathers can adapt to a nurturing role as a parent is supporting research. Lamb found evidence to suggest that fathers who become the primary caregiver are able to quickly develop better sensitivity to their babies needs. This is a strength because it supports the idea that fathers are capable of providing responsiveness needed for a close emotional attachment. This creases, the reliability of the research as there are consistent findings across multiple studies, suggest that the father can take on a more nurturing role as the primary caregiver.

Question 7

evals

Answer 7

One weakness of ideas, surrounding the role of the father is that it may not be as important for the development of the child. Mcallum and Golomblock found the children of a single mother or lesbian parent families do not develop any differently from children in two-parent heterosexual families. This is a weakness as it suggests the role of the father doesn’t have an impact on the quality of attachment and mothers are capable of providing a playful role needed for attachment in adolescence.