Schaffer’s stages of attachment

Question 1

What did Schaffer and Emerson study?

Answer 1

Attachment behaviors of babies, particularly the age at which they develop their emotional intensity towards a human

Question 2

What did Schaffer and Emerson propose?

Answer 2

• that there were 4 identifiable stages of attachment, a sequence observed in all babies

Question 3

What is the first stage of attachment S &E proposed?

Answer 3

Asocial stage

Question 4

Describe the Asocial stage

Answer 4

• 0-7weeks observable behaviour towards human and inanimate objects is fairly similar
• Tend to show preference for familiar people (faces and eyes) at end of stage
• easily comforted by other humans

Question 5

What is stage 2 of attachment proposed by S & E?

Answer 5

Indiscriminate attachment

Question 6

Describe indiscriminate attachment

Answer 6

• 2- 7 months babies display more sociable behaviour
• clear preference for humans and familiar people
• Do not show signs of separation or stranger anxiety

Question 7

What is stage 3 of attachment proposed by S & E?

Answer 7

Specific attachment

Question 8

Describe specific attachment stage

Answer 8

• from 7 months > develop signs of attachment to particular person
• signs of stranger anxiety and separation anxiety
• Specific attachment with PAF (mother in 65% of cases)

Question 9

What is stage 4 of attachment proposed by S & E ?

Answer 9

Multiple attachment

Question 10

Describe Multiple attachment stage

Answer 10

• from 10 months stranger and separation anxiety extended to other regular caregivers (secondary attachments)
• age of 1 year babies had developed multiple attachments

Question 11

What was Schaffer and Emersons research procedure?

Answer 11

• study involved 60 babies from Glasgow w/c families
• researchers visited babies & mothers in their homes every month for the 1st year and again at 18 months
• Researchers asked mothers questions about the kind of protest their babies showed in 7 everyday situations

Question 12

What did Schaffer & Emerson find from their research?

Answer 12

• At about 7 months 50% of babies showed separation anxiety
  Findings make up stages of theory

Question 13

What is a strength of Schaffer and Emersons stages of attachment?

Answer 13

• good external validity
• Observations were made by parents during everyday activities, instead of researchers present to record, which would of distracted or made babies anxious&raquo_space;> behaviour more natural

Question 14

What is a counterpoint of good external validity strength?

Answer 14

• mothers unlikely to be objective observers
• Mothers may have biased in what they noticed & reported
  e.g. may not have noticed signs of anxiety or may have misremembered it
• even if babies behaved naturally this was not accurately recorded

Question 15

What is a limitation of Schaffer and Emersons stages of attachment?

Answer 15

• validity of the measures they used to assess attachment in the asocial stage
• babies are fairly immobile at this stage, > babies less than 2 months old might have displayed anxiety in quite subtle ways
• makes it difficult for mothers to observe and report back to researchers signs of separation & stranger anxiety
• babies may actually be social but because of flawed methods appear asocial

Question 16

What is another strength of Schaffer & Emerson research?

Answer 16

• Practical application in day care
• in the asocial & indiscriminate attachment stages, day care is likely to be straightforward as babies can be comforted by any adult
• tell us that starting day care with an unfamiliar face may be particularly problematic in the specific stage so parents can plan accordingly