schaffers stages of attachment Flashcards
what are the 4 stages of attachments and at what age do they occur?
asocial / preattachment (0-2 months)
attachment in the making / indiscriminate (2-7 months)
specific attachment / discriminate (around 7-12 months)
multiple attachments (around 8 months +)
what is schaffers stage of attachment ‘asocial’?
- at this stage, infants produce similar responses to all objects whether they are inanimate or animate
- towards the end of this period, infants are beginning to show a preference for social stimuli (e.g. a smiling face)
- they are more content when with people
what is schaffers stage of attachment ‘indiscriminate’?
- infants become more social
- they prefer human company and can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people
- however they are still easily comforted by anyone, and do not show anxiety with strangers yet
- the most distinctive feature of this stage is their general sociability (enjoyment of being with people)
what is schaffers stage of attachment ‘specific attachment’?
- infants begin to show a distinctively different sort of protest when one particular person puts them down (separation protest)
- equally they show special joy at the reunion with that person and are most comforted by that person
-they are said to have formed a specific attachment - around the same time the infant begins to display uneasiness with strangers (stranger anxiety)
what is schaffers stage of attachment ‘multiple attachments’?
- soon after the main attachment is formed, infants also develop a wider circle of attachments
- the number will depend on how many consistent relationships they have
- the quality of these is a matter of some debate
AO3: how is ‘good external validity’ a strength to schaffers stages of attachment?
most of the observations in the research, upon which this theory is based, were made by parents during ordinary activities. this means that by doing the study in their own homes, the behaviour of the babies is unlikely to be affected by the presence of observers, so they are more likely to behave naturally.
however some women might’ve felt judged by the researcher, so they may have based their responses on self report feedback
AO3: how is ‘real life application’ a strength to schaffers stages of attachment?
if we understand how and when attachments develop, it can help parents and childcare providers to offer an environment that account for and understand the child’s needs. for example, a nursery looking after younger babies would know that they would be easier to look after (2-7 months) compared to a child forming an attachment with the primary caregiver (7+ months) as they have a sense of stranger anxiety. this means that the childcare provider and parents would have to work together more to help the child over 7 months rather than the child under 7 months. this also means that new parents can be informed of the importance of encouraging additional attachments.
AO3: how is ‘contradictory evidence’ a limitation to schaffers stages of attachment?
research carried out by psychologists such as Bushnell (1989) suggested that very young infants are actually more social than this theory suggests and that infants less than 24 hours old were shown to looks at their mother longer than strangers. this suggests that children may form attachments earlier than these stages. therefore, the stages of attachment may not work for all babies and it may still be too vague of an explanation to explain the stages of attachment
AO3: how is ‘difficulties of observing very young children’ a limitation to schaffers stages of attachment?
very young babies are immobile and are not very good at coordinating their movement. they are not always able to communicate what they want and how they feel. this meant that mothers are less able to tell the researchers whether the baby, when under 2 months, was experiencing anxiety or showing signs of attachment in certain situations. as a result, evidence gathered for the asocial stage may lack validity
