Schaffer’s Stages Of Attachments

Question 1

Who are the two psychologists behind Schaffer’s stages of attachments?

Answer 1

Schaffer and Emerson

Question 2

How many babies did Schaffer and Emerson study? Where were these babies from?

Answer 2

Schaffer and Emerson studied 60 babies from Glasgow

Question 3

Describe the procedure of this study:

Answer 3

1. Interactions between infants and carers were analysed
2. Carers were interviewed
3. Mother kept diary to track infant’s behaviour based on a few measures

Question 4

What were the measures the mothers based their tracking on?

Answer 4

If the babies exhibited: separation anxiety, stranger anxiety or social referencing

Separation anxiety
showing signs of distress when carer leaves and how much comfort is required from the carer to the infant upon return

Stranger anxiety
showing signs of distress in response to a stranger arriving

Social Referencing
how often infant looks towards mother to know how to respond to something new

Question 5

How long did the study last for? How would you describe this study due to its length of duration?

Answer 5

This was study was longitudinal as it lasted for 18 months

Question 6

How did the visitations work with the researchers?

Answer 6

The researchers came to observe every month of the first year and then again at 18 months

Question 7

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

Answer 7

Schaffer and Emerson found that babies with parents/carers who had “sensitive responsiveness” were more likely to form attachments

Infants with parents who responded to needs quickly and spent time with them had more ínstense attachments

Parents with minimal/no contact = very weak attachment
Attachments formed when carer communicated and played with child rather than fed and cleaned child

Question 8

What did Schaffer and Emerson use the findings to develop

Answer 8

The Stages of Attachment

Question 9

AO1: Outline the Schaffer and Emerson study
Location?
No of babies?
Aim?
Procedure/Process?

Answer 9

Schaffer and Emerson conducted a study on 60 babies in Glasgow, all from working class families. They wanted to find a pattern in the development of attachments between infants and carers.

Schaffer and Emerson visited families every month for the first year and again at 18 months observing interactions between carers and infants, interviewing carers and had carers track their infants’ behaviour in a diary.

The findings were then used to identify the different stages of attachments: Asocial stage, Indiscriminate stage, Specific attachment and Multiple attachments.

Question 10

How many stages of attachment are there? What are they called?

Answer 10

There are four stages of attachments: Asocial Stage, Indiscriminate attachments, Specific attachments, Multiple attachments

Question 11

In what order do these stages of attachments go in?

Multiple attachments
Asocial stage
Indiscriminate attachments
Specific attachments

Answer 11

1. Asocial Stage
2. Indiscriminate attachments
3. Specific attachments
4. Multiple attachments

Question 12

What is the first stage of attachments?
What age is the child?
Describe what occurs during this stage:

Answer 12

Asocial Stage
Child is 0-6 weeks
The infant’s behaviour towards human and non human objects is similar
Recognising and forming bonds with its carers

Question 13

What is the second stage of attachments?
What age is the child?
Describe what occurs during this stage:

Answer 13

Indiscriminate attachments
Child is 6 weeks to 6 months
Child displays preference for humans rather than objects
Recognises and prefers familiar faces without separation/stranger anxiety, being open to stranger holding them

Question 14

What is the third stage of attachments?
What age is the child?
Describe what occurs during this stage:

Answer 14

Specific attachments
The child is 7months onwards

The child shows a preference towards one specific carer, becoming the primary caregiver, seeking comfort and security in familiar faces
Separation and stranger anxiety is displayed

Question 15

What is the fourth stage of attachments?
What age is the child?
Describe what occurs during this stage:

Answer 15

Multiple attachments
Child is 10-11 months +

Multiple attachments are now formed with multiple adults, seeking comfort and security with multiple people

It was found that 29% of infants had a secondary attachment within a month

Question 16

How many evaluation points are there for the Schaffer and Emerson study? What is the ratio of limitations/strengths?

Answer 16

There are three evaluation points that are all limitations

Question 17

What is a limitation of the Schaffer and Emerson study that developed the stages of attachments? (population|temporal validity)

Answer 17

The study lacks population validity. The infants all came from Glasgow and were apart of working class families. Additionally the sample size of 60 makes it harder to draw strong conclusion from the study. As a result, it cannot be generalised, making it a limited explanation of attachment development. Schaffer’s stages of attachment also lack temporal validity as parenting techniques have significantly changed since the 1950. Therefore caution should be taken when generalising the findings

Question 18

What is a limitation of the Schaffer and Emerson study that developed the stages of attachments? (lacks objectivity in a stage)

Answer 18

A limitation of the Schaffer and Emerson study is that the asocial stage cannot be studied objectively. At this stage the child is as young as 6 weeks so there are no basic motor coordination skills, meaning it cannot be established whether responses are deliberate. Therefore, it is important to not draw causal conclusions

Question 19

What is a limitation of the Schaffer and Emerson study that developed the stages of attachments? (internal validity)

Answer 19

This study may lack internal validity. It uses self report methods by having carers keep a daily diary. As a result, the accuracy of the data collected may not be the best. The data may also be subject to social desirability bias, whereby carers may skew results to make their child more acceptable. Lastly demand characteristics may be present as reports could be tailored to fit the aims of the study. Consequently findings from the study could be skewed and conclusions drawn could be false