schaffers stages of attachment

Question 1

Schaffer and Emerson aim

Answer 1

to discover and undertsand how babies attachments develop

Question 2

Schaffer and Emerson method

Answer 2

observational study involving 31 male and 29 femail babies from Glasgow, mainly from skilled MC families. visited babies at home in monthly intervals for the first 18 months of their life. interactions were analysed, mothers were questioned and seperation and stranger anxiety were measured.

Question 3

findings: stages of attachment (AISM)

Answer 3

asocial, indiscriminate, specific, multiple.

Question 4

asocial stage

Answer 4

first few weeks after birth, attachments begin to be formed but behaviours aren’t aimed to anyone or anything specific.

Question 5

indiscriminate attachment

Answer 5

6 weeks - 6 months, infants begin to be more sociable, prefer humans to objects, begin to recognise familiar adults but will accept comfort from any adult.

Question 6

specific attachment

Answer 6

begins at 7 months, infants attach to one individual, normally the biological mother (PAF) stranger and eperation anxiety are shown

Question 7

multiple attachments

Answer 7

infants begin to make multiple attachments with adults they see regularly (PAFs) by 12 months all children have developed multiple attachments

Question 8

-AO3 - validity of measures used

Answer 8

babies have poor coordination, if babies less than 2 months showed anxiety this would be difficult to notice and difficult for mothers to report signs of anxiety. flawed methods mean that babies behaviours may have been misinterpreted, quesrioning the validity of the research.

Question 9

+AO3 - RWA

Answer 9

asocial and indiscriminate stages, daycare is liekly to be easy as infants accept comfrot from any adult, but can become difficult during the specific stage. due to the research, parents use of daycare can be planned and used efficiently. helpful to parents when they plan their use of childcare and return to work.

Question 10

+AO3 - external validity

Answer 10

observations were made at home during normal activities by parents, no risk of stranger anxiety from researcher, behaviour was natural. this means that the research is high in validity as it is very likely that behaviour was authentic.

Question 11

-AO3 - CA internal validity

Answer 11

use of mothers as observers, mothers may be biased in the behavuours that they see and decide to report, they coud withhold certain behaviours or lie abput certain behaviours that they saw. this means the research may not be completely accurate in explaining how attachments form.