Schaffers Stages Of Attachment

Question 1

Stages of attachment

Answer 1

Asocial stage (first weeks) -

Similar behaviour toward humans and objects, some preference for familiar adults, happier in presence of humans.

Indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months) -

Preference for people over objects, recognise and prefer familiar adults, no stranger or separation anxiety, indiscriminate as attachment is the same towards all

Specific attachment (7 months onward) -

Stranger/separation anxiety upon separation from one certain adult (primary attachment figure) - this attachment formed to adult who offers the most response and care.

Multiple attachments (1 year) -

Infant forms secondary attachments with other adults. Schaffer + Emerson - 29% of babies formed a secondary attachment within a month of forming primary attachment. By 1 year - most children formed multiple attachments.

Question 2

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - Glasgow babies stages of attachment

Answer 2

Procedure-

60 Glasgow babies from working-class families. Babies and their mothers were visited every month for a year and again at 18 months
Separation anxiety - mothers asked about everyday separation behaviour e.g. dropping child off at school
Stranger anxiety - mothers asked about children’s everyday reactions to unfamiliar adults

Findings/conclusions-

1/2 of babies showed separation anxiety from primary attachment figure (usually mother) between 25 and 32 weeks of age.
Attachment typically formed with the best responder and carer, not necessarily the parent with the most contact time.

Question 3

✅Schaffer and Emerson’s study had external validity

Answer 3

Observations were made by parent in everyday situations and reported to researchers.

So behaviour of infants would not have been affected by presence of an observer.

Pts behaved naturally - so research is reflective of real-world situations.

Question 4

✅research was longitudinal

Answer 4

Observing the same children over time rather than observing different children at each age eliminates effects of individual differences

Strength as it eliminates individual differences/participant variables and strengthens internal validity.

Question 5

❌issues with studying the asocial year

Answer 5

Babies are classified as asocial in this period - but maybe they just lack the motor and coordination skills to be social.

Maybe babies actually are social, but because of flawed methods they appear to be asocial.