role of the father Flashcards
true or false?:
fathers are much more likely to become babies’ first attachment figure
false - mothers are more likely to become babies’ first attachment figure
in Schaffer + Emerson’s study, at what age did babies first become attached to mothers?
7 months
in Schaffer + Emerson’s study, what % of babies formed an attachment with father by the age of 18 months?
75%
in Schaffer + Emerson’s study, in what % of cases was the father the joint first attachment figure with the mother?
27%
what type of study was Grossman’s + why?
longitudinal study - babies’ attachments were studied until they were teenagers
what did Grossman look at as part of the procedure?
both parents’ behaviour + its relationship to the quality of baby’s later attachments
in Grossman’s study, which parent’s ‘quality of relationship’ was linked to later adolescent attachments?
what does this suggest?
mother’s quality of relationship - suggests that attachment to fathers is less important than attachment to mothers
in Grossman’s study, which parent’s ‘quality of play’ was linked to later adolescent attachments?
what does this suggest?
father’s quality of play - suggests that fathers have a larger role in play rather than emotional development
why does a baby’s primary attachment have a special emotional significance?
the relationship with a primary attachment figure forms the basis of all later close emotional relationships
what was Field’s procedure?
filmed 4-month-old babies in interaction with primary caregiver mothers, primary caregiver fathers, and secondary caregiver fathers
what were Field’s findings?
the primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating, and holding babies (all involved in interactional synchrony + reciprocity than the secondary caregiver fathers
what did Field conclude that?
fathers do have the potential to be more emotion-focused + can provide responsiveness required for a close emotional attachment, but perhaps can only express this when primary caregiver
what does Field’s evidence suggest that?
when fathers take on the role of primary caregiver, they’re able to adopt the emotional role more typically associated with mothers
what is one strength of this research?
it has a real-world application
what are 2 limitations of this research?
~ there is conflicting evidence
~ there is confusion over the research questions
how does this research have a real-world application?
research can be used to offer advice to parents - e.g. fathers can be reassured that they are able to become primary attachment figures AND lesbian parents/single mothers can be informed that not having a father around does not impact child development
how may this research have a positive impact on the economy?
sometimes it isn’t always economically the best solution for the mother to stay at home - therefore this research can reassure fathers that they can become primary attachment figures if the mother has to work
why is there conflicting evidence over this research?
if fathers have such a distinct role, we would expect children in lesbian/single-mother families to turn out differently from those in heterosexual families, but studies have shown that there is no development difference in these children
what is one counterpoint to ‘conflicting evidence’?
it could be that fathers take on distinctive roles in heterosexual families, but that parents in lesbian/single-mother families simply adapt to accommodate role of father
why may the role of the father actually be clear?
when present, fathers play a distinctive role, but some families can adapt to not having a father (e.g. lesbian families)
why is there confusion over the research question?
the question “what is the role of the father?” is too complex as it depends on what specific role is being discussed
why is it difficult to offer a simple answer to the ‘role of the father’?
it depends on the type of role - e.g. some researchers want to understand fathers as secondary attachment figures, whereas others want to understand them as primary attachment figures
