Role of the father Flashcards
What did Schaffer and Emerson (1964) find in reference to attachments with fathers?
They found that the majority of babies did become attached to the mother first, however withing a few weeks they formed secondary attachments to other family members. 75% of infants studied had formed an attachment with the father by 18 months.
What did Grossman (2002) find in his study?
He found that quality of attachment with mothers was more important in adolescence, however, the quality of father’s play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachments.
What type of study was carried out by Grossman (2002)?
A longitudinal study.
What did Grossman’s findings (2002) suggest about the role of the father?
His findings suggested that the role was more orientated around play and stimulation, and less to do with nurturing.
Historically, what was the role of the father in childcare?
They had a minor role in the parenting of the child and were seen as biologically unsuitable to raise children and the father would simply work to provide for the family.
A new study has shown 9% of single parents to be male, what did Field’s research (1978) suggest about males as primary carers?
They are able to adopt behaviours that are more typical of mothers, Field found that male PCG’s spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than those who were not PCG’s.
A03 - Inconsistent findings.
Research into the role of fathers is confusing as different researches investigate different hypothesis. This is a problem because it means psychologists cannot easily answer a simple question “what is the role of the father?” due to the many different situations.
AO3 - Children without fathers.
Grossman’s study (2002) found that fathers had a distinct role as secondary attachment figures, however, other studies such as MacCallum and Golombok have found that children in single mother households do not develop differently to other children, this suggests a father’s role is not as distinct and important.
AO3 - Natural unsuitability.
The fact that fathers tend not to become PCG’s may be de=ue to traditional gender stereotypes, in which women are expected to be more caring and nurturing than men. However, female specific hormones such as oestrogen create higher levels of nurturing that biologically prepare women to be a PCG.
T / F:
Some researchers are interested in the role of the father as secondary attachment figures whereas other psychologists are more concerned with the father as the primary attachment figure.
True.
T / F:
Schaffer and Emerson found that fathers were far more likely than mothers to be the primary attachment figure.
False.
T / F:
Research has suggested that fathers behavioural style (how they interact / behave) with their children is different to that of mothers.
True.
T / F:
Fathers are more likely to engage in comfort and support for the baby whereas mothers are more involved in physical play and risk taking.
Flase.
T / F:
Lamb (1987) found children prefer interacting with fathers when in a positive emotional state, mothers are preferred when the children are distressed and seeking comfort.
True.
T / F:
There is some evidence to suggest that when fathers take on roles of being the primary caregiver they adopt behaviours more typical of mothers.
True.
