schaffer's stages of attachment Flashcards
what is stage 1 called?
asocial stage
list 3 characteristics of babies during the asocial stage
~ happier in the presence of humans than when alone
~ behaviour between humans + non-humans is quite similar
~ smile at anyone
what is stage 2 called?
indiscriminate attachment stage
list 2 characteristics of babies during the indiscriminate attachment stage
~ recognise + prefer familiar people
~ accept comfort from any adult
what is stage 3 called?
specific attachment stage
list 2 characteristics of babies during the specific attachment stage
~ use familiar adults as a secure base
~ primary attachment to a particular individual
what is stage 4 called?
multiple attachments stage
list 1 characteristic of babies during the multiple attachments stage
~ form secondary attachments with familiar adults with whom they spend time (e.g. fathers, grandparents)
list 3 characteristics of Schaffer + Emerson’s sample
~ 60 babies
~ from working-class families
~ from Glasgow
what were the aims of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
aimed to investigate formation of early attachments, in particular when they developed, emotional intensity, and to whom they were directed
true or false?
Schaffer and Emerson’s study was longitudinal
true
what was Schaffer and Emerson’s method?
~ babies + mothers were visited at home every month for the first year, then once again at 18 months old
~ researchers asked the mothers about the kind of protest babies showed in 7 everyday situations (e.g. adult leaving room as a measure of separation anxiety)
what % of babies had a specific attachment by the age of 40 weeks in Schaffer + Emerson’s study?
80%
what % of babies had multiple attachments by the age of 40 weeks in Schaffer + Emerson’s study?
almost 30%
what % of babies had separation anxiety between the ages of 25-32 weeks in Schaffer + Emerson’s study?
50%
what did Schaffer + Emerson conclude?
as children age, they go through attachment stages
how might the presence of researchers have affected the external validity of the study?
if researchers were present, babies may have been distracted/anxious, which could cause unnatural participant behaviour
list 2 counterpoints to the strength ‘good external validity’
~ social desirability bias of mothers
~ mothers may not have noticed certain behaviours therefore didn’t note them down
how may the date of the study have affected the temporal validity?
study was conducted in 1964 - carers were different in the 1960s (e.g. mother tended not to work so she brought up the child, whereas nowadays families are more diverse)
who may the study apply to in real life?
parental figures, doctors, day care workers, social workers etc.
how may this study apply to day care workers?
in asocial/indiscriminate stages, day care is likely to be straightforward as babies can be comforted by any skilled adult, whereas starting day care with an unfamiliar adult during specific stage may be problematic
list 2 limitations of the generalisability of this study
~ limited sample
~ they only investigated working-class Glaswegian children - findings may vary in a collectivist culture
list 2 strengths of the reliability of this study
~ asked the same questions to all mothers
~ revisited the same babies each time
why could it have been difficult for mothers to observe signs of attachment/anxiety?
young babies are fairly immobile and have poor coordination, therefore making it difficult to read their emotions
why is there poor evidence for the asocial stage?
assessment methods for asocial stage are poor, as it may be hard to classify babies’ behaviour
