Schaffers stages of attachments

Question 1

AO1 -
Shaffer and Emmerson 1964 identified four stages of attachments a baby goes through. They observed mothers and babies at home every month for a year they measured, babies, separation, anxiety, and strange anxiety

Answer 1

AO1 -
Shaffer and Emerson 1964 found that babies form attachments in multiple stages.
1. asocial stage - form a specific attachment with one person who is most responsive to babies needs

Question 2

AO1 -
shaffer and Emerson believed asocial stage happened first. This is where baby shows some other behaviour towards people and inanimate objects. babies in this stage are easily comforted and shows signs of forming bonds with a specific person

Answer 2

AO1 -
at this stage,
-baby shows a preference for people rather than inanimate objects.
-not fussy on who they get attention from.
-do not show separation anxiety when being left by themselves
-no stranger anxiety when being left with unfamiliar people
-attachment behaviours are the same towards all people

Question 3

AO1-
at 7 months - clear signs of attachment towards a specific person who is primary attachment figure
- 65% of cases it is the mother- person who is most responsive to needs
-baby shows clear signs of stranger and seperation anxiety

Answer 3

AO1-
-once baby has primary, they form secondary.
- happens within one month of forming primary
- S and E found most babies form multiple attachments by one year

Question 4

AO3-
P: strength, real world application
E: S and E claim a social and discriminate stage of a child can be confident by a skilled adult
E: when baby forms specific attachment, this becomes less likely knowing how babies will respond to a stranger, allows parents to plan the use of daycare to suit the babies attachment behaviour
L: real world application

Answer 4

AO3 -
P: weakness, self report
E: S and E had parents report, researchers didn’t collect data first hand
E: parents, social desirability bias
L: not valid due to parent observation

Question 5

AO3 -
P: strength, external validity
E: S and E asked mothers to report anxious behaviours at home
E: no lab setting = behaviour was more realistic
L: external validity