Schaffer's Stages of Attachment

Question 1

What was the aim and method for Schaffer & Emerson’s study?

Answer 1

• they aimed to investigate the formation of early attachments
• 60 babies all from Glasgow and mainly from working-class families were studied
• the babies & their mothers were visited monthly for a year & then at 18 months
• researchers asked the mothers the kind of protest their babies would show in seven everyday separations (separation anxiety)
• this was designed to measure the infant’s attachment
• researcher also studied stranger anxiety - infant’s anxiety response to unfamiliar adults

Question 2

What were the findings of Schaffer & Emerson’s study?

Answer 2

• between 25-32 weeks 50% of the babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards a particular adult (mainly the mothers - specific attachment)
• attachment was mainly towards the caregiver who was most interactive & sensitive to infant’s signals & expressions not necessarily who the infant spent the most time with
• by 40 weeks 80% of the babies had a specific attachment & 30% displayed multiple attachments

Question 3

What are the 4 stages of attachment?

Answer 3

1. Asocial stage
2. Indiscriminate attachment
3. Specific attachment
4. Multiple attachments

Question 4

What is Stage 1: Asocial stage?

Answer 4

• during first few weeks the baby is recognising & forming bonds with its carers
• baby’s behaviour towards humans & non-human objects is similar
• babies show some preference to familiar adults
• they seem happier in the presence of other humans

Question 5

What is Stage 2: Indiscriminate stage?

Answer 5

• from 2-7 months babies show a preference to humans than inanimate objects
• they recognise & prefer familiar adults
• babies accept comfort from any adult & don’t usually show separation or stranger anxiety
• attachment behaviour is not different towards any one person

Question 6

What is Stage 3: Specific attachment?

Answer 6

• from 7 months babies show some form of anxiety towards strangers & become more anxious when separated from a particular adult (usually mother)
• babies are said to have formed a specific attachment - this adult is primary attachment figure
• this figure is the one who offers the most interaction & responds to the baby’s signals with the most signals

Question 7

What is Stage 4: Multiple attachments?

Answer 7

• baby’s attachment behaviour extends to multiple attachments with other adults they regularly spend time with
• these relationships are secondary attachments
• by the age of 1 most babies have developed multiple attachments

Question 8

Evaluation (of Schaffer & Emerson’s study): Good external validity

Answer 8

• their study was carried out in the families’ homes & most observations were done by parents during ordinary activities which were then reported to researchers
• this means behaviour of babies is unlikely to have been affected by unfamiliar observers
• this means the study has good external validity & data collected is valid

Question 9

Evaluation (of Schaffer & Emerson’s study): Limited sample characteristics

Answer 9

• sample size of 60 babies & carers was good considering large volume of data collected from each pps
• but a limitation is that all families involved were from the same district & social class in the same city over 50 years ago
• children behaviour varies between cultures & historical periods
• results obtained can’t be generalised to other social & historical contexts

Question 10

Evaluation (of stages of attachment): Problem studying the asocial stage

Answer 10

• Schaffer & Emerson describe the first stage of attachment as ‘asocial’ even though major interactions take place
• this is a limitation because babies have poor coordination during the first few weeks
• this means it’s difficult to make judgements about them based on observations of their behaviour since there isn’t much to observe
• this doesn’t mean that the child’s feelings & cognitions aren’t highly social but evidence can’t be heavily relied on

Question 11

Evaluation (of stages of attachment): Conflicting evidence on multiple attachments

Answer 11

• its not entirely clear when children form multiple attachments
• research indicates that most multiple attachments are made after the primary attachment
• other psychologists who work in cultural contexts where multiple caregivers is the norm believe that babies form multiple attachments from the start
• these cultures are called collectivist since families work together in child rearing
• this makes the stages of attachment slightly lack validity