Schaffer's Stages Of Attachments And Multiple Attachments

Question 1

Define stages of attachment

Answer 1

Many developmental theories identify a sequence of qualitatively different behaviours linked to specific ages. In stages of attachment, some characteristics of infants’ behaviour towards others change as the infant gets older.

Question 2

What are multiple attachments?

Answer 2

Attachments to two or more people. Most babies appear to develop multiple attachments when they have formed one true attachment to a main carer.

Question 3

Who proposed a series of stages in the development of attachments?

Answer 3

Schaffer and

Question 4

Name all the stages of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of development and at what age they occur.

Answer 4

• stage 1: Asocial (first few weeks)
• stage 2: indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months)
• stage 3: specific attachment (7 months)
• stage 4: multiple attachments (about 1 year)

Question 5

Outline the asocial stage

Answer 5

• the baby is recognising and forming bonds with carers
• babies behaviour towards human and non-human objects is similar
• babies show preference for familiar adults in that those people tend to calm them easier
• babies are happier in the presence of anything

(Interested in anything)

Question 6

Outline stage 2: indiscriminate attachment

Answer 6

• babies display more observable social behaviour
• they prefer people rather than objects and recognise familiar adults
• they usually accept comfort from any adult and do not usually show separation anxiety
• their attachment behaviour is not different towards any person

(Prefer company of adults - but will accept comfort off anyone)

Question 7

Outline the specific attachment stage

Answer 7

• babies show separation anxiety towards one particular adult (65% mother) and show stranger anxiety (a sign of attachment)
• the adult who the child has formed an attachment with is called the primary attachment figure
• the primary attachment figure is the one who offers the most interaction and is the most skilled at responding to the baby’s signals

(Shows separation anxiety and has a primary attachment figure)

Question 8

Outline stage 4: multiple attachments

Answer 8

• shortly after the primary attachment has been established, they usually extend this attachment behaviour to multiple attachments with other adults - secondary attachments
• 29% of babies form secondary attachments within a month of forming primary attachment
• by 1 year, the majority of infants have developed multiple attachments

(Develop secondary and multiple attachments)

Question 9

A child psychologist observes Larry’s behaviour at several points through throughout his first year, and makes the following notes:
•Larry becomes very upset when he sees someone for the first time and can only be comforted by his mum

• Larry grasps every object presented to him, from mummy’s finger to his teddy bear. He makes the same gurgling noises at everyone he sees
• Larry seems to recognise other family members (such as his grandparents) and is happy to play with them all
• When Larry cries, he is happy to be comforted to family friends and even babysitters as well as his mum and dad

Identify which stages of Larry’s development are being described. Explain your choices and give Larry’s approximate age at each stage.

Answer 9

1. Stage 3 = Specific attachments - showing stranger anxiety and mother is his primary attachment figure (around 7 months old)
2. Stage 1 = Asocial - non-discriminate between objects and humans (few weeks old)
3. Stage 2 = Indiscriminate attachment- recognises familiar adults and attachment behaviour is not different towards any one person (2-7 months old)
4. Stage 4 = Multiple attachment- has established secondary attachments and extend attachment behaviour towards them (about 1 year old)

Question 10

What study provides evidence to support stages in attachment/ the formation of multiple attachments?

Answer 10

Schaffer and Emerson’s Scottish infants study

Question 11

What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s Scottish infant study?

Answer 11

To investigate the formation of early attachments (age of development, number of attachment relationships infants have, and emotional intensity)

Question 12

Describe the procedure and the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s Scottish infant study

Answer 12

In a longitudinal study of Scottish (Glaswegian) infants throughout their first 18 months - they were visited in their home every month for the first year and then again at 18 months old.

60 infants were observed and mothers interviewed about the child’s responses to separation. Two aspects of attachment behaviour were considered: separation anxiety (e.g. Protest with hen mother leaves the room) and stranger anxiety (response to an unfamiliar adult)

The results found that by 18 months most children had formed one attachment figure and some children had as many as five, including attachments to mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings and neighbours.
Although the mother was the most commonly selected figure, 75% of infants also selected the father at 18 months.

Conclusion: Babies do not normally demonstrate monotropy (one attachment) and it is usual for a child to have several attachment figures (multiple attachments). Attachments are often formed on the basis of who is most responsive to the child - often the father. The most important fact in forming attachments is not who feeds and changes the child who plays and communicates with him or her.

Question 13

EVALUATION OF THE SCOTTISH INFANTS INFANTS STUDY

Give two strengths of the study

Answer 13

One strength of the study is that it has good external validity as most of the observations (not stranger anxiety) were made by parents during ordinary activities and reported to researchers. So the behaviour of the babies was unlikely to be affected by the presence of observers. It is highly likely that the participants behaved naturally while being observed.
This is s strength of their because the infant and adult are acting normally, it makes the results more valid and gives them external validity.

Another strength of the study was that it was carried out longitudinally. This means that the same children were followed-up and observed regularly. The quicker alternative would have been to observe different children at each age. This is called cross-sectional design. But longitudinal designs have better internal validity because they do not have the confounding variable of individual differences between participants (participant variables).

Question 14

Give a limitation of the Scottish infant study

Answer 14

A limitation of the study is that it had limited sample characteristics. The study was carried out on one culture at one time (1964), this may mean it doesn’t generalise well to other social groups and across time.

Question 15

OVERALL EVALUATION OF STAGES OF ATTACHMENT OF MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS/STAGES OF ATTACHMENT

Give one strength of overall evaluation of stages of attachment

Answer 15

One strength is that it’s supported by cross cultural studies. Schaffer’s stages of attachment have received broad support from cross-cultural studies, suggesting that children will often pass through these stages in the order proposed. The concept of multiple attachments is also consistent with cross cultural studies of child rearing:

Tronick et al described the infant care arrangement of the Efe people from Zaire, where children were collectively cared for by members of the group, and where the average number of carers for a group of infants was 14.2. Such collective responsibility seems to have no damaging psychological effects on the children and brings many benefits, including the provision of various sources of security and wider social experience for the child.

Question 16

Name the four limitations of stages of attachment of multiple attachments/stages of attachment

Answer 16

• There may be a problem with how multiple attachment is assessed
• There is a problem in studying the asocial stage
• Conflicting evidence in the timing of multiple attachments
• There are individual differences in the way that attachments add formed

Question 17

How may there be a a problem with how multiple attachment is assessed?

Answer 17

Just because a baby gets distressed when an individual leaves the room does not necessarily mean that the individual is a ‘true’ attachment figure.

Bowlby pointed out that children may be distressed when a playmate leaves the room, but this does not signify attachment to them. Schaffer and Emerson’s view of stages does not distinguish between behaviour shown towards secondary attachment figures and towards playmates.

Question 18

Why is there a problem in studying the asocial stage?

Answer 18

Schaffer and Emerson describe the first few weeks of like as the asocial stage. It is difficult to study babies during this stage because their immobile so it is difficult to observe their behaviour so the the evidence can’t be relied on.

Question 19

How is there conflicting evidence on the timing of multiple attachments?

Answer 19

It is not entirely clear when children form multiple attachments, although there is no doubt that children are capable of forming attachments with more than one person. Some research shows that not all babies form single main attachment before they are capable of forming multiple attachments (Bowlbly).

Van Ijzendoorn studied attachment in cross cultural contexts where multiple caregivers are the norm; their findings indicate that babies form multiple attachments from the outset. Such cultures are called collectivist because families work together jointly in everything - producing food and child rearing.

Question 20

How are there individual differences in the way that attachments are formed?

Answer 20

Some children may pass through the stages at different rates depending upon their development. There is evidence that infants can form different types of attachments suggesting that development is not the same for all infants. Schaffer’s stages tend to ignore the idea of individual differences, assuming that the development of attachments is the same (or similar) for all infants.