Schaffers stages of attachment

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

investigate early attachments
formation, age developed, intensity and who with

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

60 infants (5-23 weeks) from working class families in Glasgow

Question 3

observation features

Answer 3

longitudinal
naturalistic
overt

Question 4

method

Answer 4

• mothers recorded observations of infant for 7 everyday situations (e.g. being left with stranger)
• recorded intensity of behaviour and who it was directed at
• did for a year and researcher collected recordings each month

Question 5

findings

Answer 5

25-30 weeks: 50% show signs of separation anxiety towards specific adult
by 40 weeks: 80% had specific attachment, 30% multiple attachments

Question 6

what and when is the first stage

Answer 6

Asocial stage
first weeks

Question 7

asocial stage

Answer 7

• behaviour towards all human/objects similar
• show signs they prefer to be with people, especially familiar
• form bonds with some people, form basis of later attachments

Question 8

what and when is second stage

Answer 8

indiscriminate attachment
2 - 7 months

Question 9

indiscriminate attachment

Answer 9

• preference for human over objects
• recognise + prefer familiar people
• accept comfort from anyone, no separation anxiety
• separation anxiety unlikely

Question 10

what and when is third stage

Answer 10

specific attachment
7+ months

Question 11

specific attachment

Answer 11

• sign of attachment to one person
• stranger + separation anxiety
• primary attachment (65% is mother) is babies specific attachment (most interaction that responds to babies signals)

Question 12

what and when is fourth stage

Answer 12

multiple attachments
by 1 year

Question 13

multiple attachments

Answer 13

• secondary attachments: extend behaviour to more people they spend time with
• 29% formed secondary attachments within 1 month of a specific attachment

Question 14

AO3 strength

Answer 14

• longitudinal study
• allows Schaffer to study the development of attachments throughout a babies first year
• if he used other babies, all different ages, there would have been participant variables
• determine variable patterns over time
• CA: participants may drop out

Question 15

AO3 weakness (sample)

Answer 15

• sample bias, only used middle class families from Glasgow
• a study done in Isreal (collectivist culture) that showed much less close attachment within the family home
• lacks population validity as can’t be applied to all mother/baby attachments
• CA: save cost, would be much more costly to get observations from around the world

Question 16

AO3 weakness (data collection)

Answer 16

• used a self report method, mother recorded behaviour of babies
• likely to play down infants behaviour, believe their child is ‘perfect’ so when behaviour is bad don’t report it
• don’t want to appear as a bad mother so might miss some behaviour, social desirability bias
  CA: unethical/impossible to be with 30 families all day everyday