Schaffers Stages Of Attachment Flashcards
What did Schaffer and Emerson investigate and when
1964
Sought to investigate the development of early attachment , specifically interested in the age at which attachments develop their emotional intensity
What did the sample consist of
60 babies, 29 girls and 31 boys from Glasgow, from skilled working class families
How was the study carried out
The study was carried out longitudinally
The researchers visited the mothers and babies at their home every month for the first 12 months and then again at 18 months
How was most of the data collected
The mothers were interviewed about the protests that their children showed in seven separate situations, questions about separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
What were the findings of the investigation
-Between 25 and 32 weeks of age, 50% of infants showed separation anxiety towards a particular adult
- the attachment was manly towards adults who were the most responsive
- by 40 weeks, some infants had developed specific attachments, whereas other infants developing multiple attachments
What was stage 1 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment
The asocial stage, developed at 0-6 weeks
Where the baby is recognising and forming bonds
They show some preference for familiar adults and are happier in the presence of other humans
Don’t show stranger or separation anxiety
What was stage 2 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Indiscriminate attachments
2-6 months
Babies display more observable social behaviour
Accept cuddles and comfort from any adult
Do not show stranger or separation anxiety
What was stage 3 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Specific attachment
7 months onwards
Babies start to display stranger and separation anxiety
In 65% of cases they are attached to one particular adult, their biological mother
What was stage 4 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Multiple attachments
10 months onwards
Shortly after babies show attachment behaviour to one adult, they extend this attachment to multiple attachments with who they regularly spend time with, called secondary attachments
In the study 29% of infants formed secondary attachments within a month of forming a primary attachment
Evaluation of schaffers theory: good external validity
The investigation has good external validity because the study was carried out in the families own home and the observations were done by the parents during ordinary activities and later reported to the researchers. Therefore the babies behaviour was not affected by the presence of observers, providing realistic results as the babies behaved naturally
Evaluation of schaffers study: longitudinal study design
The study was carried out longitudinally so the babies were followed up and studied regularly . This provides a better internal validity because the confounding variables and participant variables do not occur
Evaluation of Schaffer’s study: limited sample characteristics
The sample size was 60 babies which is a goos size, however, the babies involved were from the same social class and district in the same city at a time of 50 years ago. This is a limitation because childrearing practices vary from culture to culture and vary over time periods, so the results cannot generalise to other social and historical contexts
Bowlby 1969
Stated that babies have playmates and attachment figures, and may get distressed if the playmate leaves but doesn’t always signify attachment as it may not be separation anxiety but the fact that the person they play with has left
