Schaffer and Emerson (development of attachment) Flashcards
what was Schaffer and Emerson’s aim?
to investigate the development of attachments.
what was their procedure
- studied 60 babies from mainly working-class backgrounds until they were one.
- the children were all studied in their homes monthly
- Mother’s reported on their infant’s separation behaviour across different situations and the intensity of the protest.
- Mother’s were also asked to explain whom protest was displayed towards.
- Strangers anxiety was measured by infants response to the interviewer.
what were Shaffer and Emerson’s findings?
- as they age, they’re finding more stranger anxiety and specific attachments.
- all 60 infants formed specific attachments and stranger attachments by 1 year.
- specific attachments developed faster than stranger anxiety.
what were their conclusions?
they discovered that babies attachment develope in four key stages (indiscriminate attachments, beginning of attachments, discriminate attachments, multiple attachments)
what could be some issues with their research? (AO3)
- mothers may have given socially desirable answers
- ethics (distressing for baby)
- historical validity (children were different in 1964)
- biased sampling (working class only)
can the multiple attachments formed by infants be equal in importance for the child?
+Bulby’s view was that an infant forms one special bond/emotional relationship then subsidiary to this are multiple other secondary attachments which are important in the child’s safety and other needs.
-however, Rutter argued that all attachment figures are equivalent. He believes that all attachments integrate to produce an infant to produce an infants attachment type.
what’s the difference between the methods of individualist and collectivist cultures when it comes to child-rearing?
individualists- concerned about their own need or needs of their close/immediate family members
collectivist- focused on the need of the group rather than individuals.
