Stages Of Attachment Flashcards
Who investigated the 4 stages of attachment
Shaffer & Emerson (1964)
What are the 4 stages of attachment
- Pre-attachment
- Indiscrimate attachment
- Discrimate attachment
- Multiple attachments
How did Shaffer and Emerson (1964) investigate the development of attachment
- a longitudinal study where they followed 60 infants + their mother for two years. They decided that there were 4 stages of the development of attachment in infants
What is pre-attachment (0-3 Months)
From 6 weeks of age, infants become attracted to other humans, preferring them to objects and events
-> this preference is demonstrated by their smiling @ people’s faces
What is indiscriminate attachment (3-7) months
Infants begin to discriminate between familiar & unfamiliar people, smiling more at people they know
They still allow strangers to handle them
What is discriminate attachment (7 months onwards)
- infants develop a specific attachment to their primary attachment figure (usually the mother:
- they show separation protest, and display stranger anxiety
The primary attachment figure was not always who spent the most time with the child
What is multiple attachments (7 months onwards)
- infants develop strong emotional ties with other major caregivers (e.g. father) and non care-givers (e.g. siblings)
These are called secondary attachments: the fear of strangers weakens but their attachment to their primary attachment figure = strongest
Why might the data Shaffer and Emerson collected be unreliable
Was based on mothers reports of their infants
- some mothers might be less sensitive to their infants protests + therefore less likely to report them
Why was the Shaffer & Emerson study sample bias
- only included infants for, working class population + from individualist cultures
Why does this theory not have temporal validity
Conducted in the 1960s & parental care of children has changed considerably since then
- more women work / stay at home men
Stage theories like this are inflexible and do not take into account individual differences, such as…
how some infants might form multiple attachments first, rather than starting with a single attachments
What did Shaffer & Emerson find out about the role of the father
That they were less likely to be the primary attachment figure than mothers
Why might men be less likely to be the primary attachment figure
- may spend less time with children
- may not be psychologically equipped (they may lack emotional sensitivity)
- biological factors (e.g. how female hormone oxytocin underlies caring behaviour)
- due to social norms
However, Shaffer & Emerson (1964) found that […] % of infants had formed an attachment with their father at […] months
75%
18 months
Who found that fathers CAN even be the primary attachment figure
Field 1978