Stages of Attachment

Question 1

Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 1

Longitudinal observation found intensely attached infants had mothers who responded quickly to their demands, interacting with their child

Question 2

Asocial stage

Answer 2

Infants produce similar response to all objects then begin to prefer social stimuli

Question 3

Indiscriminate stage

Answer 3

More social, prefer human company and distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people

Question 4

Specific stage

Answer 4

Form specific attachments to to primary caregiver, show separation and stranger anxiety

Question 5

Multiple stage

Answer 5

Attachments to two or more people depending on consistency of relationships (majority by age 1)

Question 6

Strengths of stages of attachment

Answer 6

• Practical applications (eg. Babies in childcare comforted by skilled adults)
• High internal validity (eg. Longitudinal study, regular natural observations comparing babies)

Question 7

Limitations of stages of attachment

Answer 7

• Social desirability bias (eg. Interviewed mothers may have reported inaccurately to appear better)
• Lacks population validity (eg. 60 working class mothers from Glasgow)