Stages of Attachment

Question 1

Who proposed the stages of attachment?

Answer 1

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 2

What did Schaffer and Emerson propose about attachment?

Answer 2

Proposed four identifiable stages of attachment, which identify behavioural changes as infants get older.

Question 3

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - Aim

Answer 3

To investigate the formation of early attachments.

Question 4

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - Procedure

Answer 4

60 (31 male, 29 female) working-class, Glaswegian infants and their mothers were visited monthly for a year, and then again at 18 months. The mothers were asked questions to assess stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, and social referencing.

Question 5

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - Findings

Answer 5

At 25-32 weeks, 50% of infants had formed a specific attachment. By 40 weeks, 80% of infants had a specific attachment, and 30% displayed multiple attachments.

Question 6

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - Conclusions

Answer 6

Attachment forms in four stages and there is a pattern of attachment common to all infants. An important factor in forming attachments is being responsive to the infants’ needs.

Question 7

Social Referencing

Answer 7

When an infant uses the affective displays of an adult to determine whether to perform certain behaviors.

Question 8

Strengths of Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Answer 8

• Longitudinal study means that the same infants were being observed at each interval, eliminating participant variables, good internal validity.
• Standardised methods with the same behaviour categories and observations for each child, improving reliability.
• Naturalistic observations used, meaning the children are more likely to act naturally in their natural environment, increasing external validity.

Question 9

Limitations of Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Answer 9

• All families were from the same area of Glasgow, and of the same socio-economic status, lacking population validity and generalisability.
• Parenting practices greatly vary between cultures, so thier findings are not applicable to other cultures.
• Self-report method used, with parents observing behaviours then reporting to researchers - may include social desirability bias.

Question 10

Stage 1

Answer 10

Pre-attachment or asocial (0-6 weeks old).

Question 11

Stage 1 Features

Answer 11

• Observable behaviour towards humans and inanimate objects is fairly similiar.
• Shows signs of preferring to be with other people and easily comforted by familiar people.

Question 12

Stage 2

Answer 12

Indiscriminate Attachment (6 weeks - 7 months).

Question 13

Stage 2 Features

Answer 13

• Begin to display more obvious and observable social behaviours.
• Show a clear preference for humans, and usually accept cuddles and comfort from anyone.
• Do not usually show separation or stranger anxiety.

Question 14

Stage 3

Answer 14

Specific Attachment (7-9 months).

Question 15

Stage 3 Features

Answer 15

• Display signs of attachment to one particular person and form a specific attachment to their primary attachment figure.
• Show signs of stranger anxiety and separation anxiety.
• In 65% of infants, this primary attachment figure is the mother.

Question 16

Stage 4

Answer 16

Multiple Attachments (10+ months).

Question 17

Stage 4 Features

Answer 17

• Attachment behaviour extends to multiple attachments with other people who they regularly spend time with - secondary attachments.
• 29% of infants formed a secondary attachment within a month of forming a primary attachment.

Question 18

Strengths of the Stages of Attachment

Answer 18

• Good validity and reliability from the supporting research.
• Supporting evidence from Bowlby (1969) - found most infants form an attachment with a single main carer before forming multiple attachments.
• Useful theory, helping parents to determine when to use daycare (evidence points to using it during Stages 1 and 2).

Question 19

Limitations of the Stages of Attachment

Answer 19

• Could be argued that jsut having four stages is quite simplistic, and the behaviour categories in the research are also too simple.
• There is limited testability, as there is not much observable behaviour in the asocial stage.
• Limited usefulness to other cultures, van Ijzendoorn et al. (1993) - infants raised in collectivist cultures can form multiple attachments early on.
• Research doesn’t distinguish between behaviour shown towards attachment figures and playmates.