stages of attachment

Question 1

Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 1

• studied 60 Glasgow babies from working class backgrounds
• visited every month for the first year and then again at 18 months
• measured the babies’ attachment by asking the mother questions about separation and stranger anxiety

Question 2

stages of attachment

Answer 2

stage 1 - asocial
stage 2 - indiscriminate attachment
stage 3 - specific attachment
stage 4 - multiple attachments

Question 3

stage 1 - asocial

Answer 3

• baby is recognising and bonding with is caregiver
• it responds to objects and human in a similar manner
• there are some preferences for familiar adults, those individuals find it easier to calm them
• babies seem to be happier in the presence of these individuals

Question 4

stage 2 - indiscriminate attachment

Answer 4

• babies display a preference towards people compared to inanimate objects
• they recognise and prefer familiar humans
• usually accepts cuddles and comfort from any adult
• do not usually show separation anxiety or stranger anxiety

Question 5

stage 3 - specific attachment

Answer 5

• the majority of infants start to display stranger anxiety and separation anxiety
• forms a specific attachment, with the person who best responds to the infants needs and signals

Question 6

stage 4 - multiple attachments

Answer 6

• infants start to have secondary attachments with people it sees on a regular basis
• 29% of infants had a secondary attachment within a month of forming a specific attachment
• by the age of 1 the majority of infants have formed multiple attachments

Question 7

evaluation of Schaffer’s stages

Answer 7

bias
sample
ecological validity
asocial stage
culture

Question 8

bias : EVALUATION OF SCHAFFER’S STAGES

Answer 8

• mothers were asked to self report
• they may have changed their answers to appear like better mothers

Question 9

sample : EVALUATION OF SCHAFFER’S STAGES

Answer 9

• low population validity
• all ppts were from Glasgow, middle-class families
• small sample size (60)
• cannot generalise to wider population

Question 10

ecological validity : EVALUATION OF SCHAFFER’S STAGES

Answer 10

• babies were observed in their own homes (a natural environment)
• high ecological vaidity
• can be generalised to the real world

Question 11

asocial stage : EVALUATION OF SCHAFFER’S STAGES

Answer 11

• young babies have poor coordination
• are pretty much immobile in the first few weeks
• it can be difficult to make any judgements about any judgements about the purpose of behaviour

Question 12

culture : EVALUATION OF SCHAFFER’S STAGES

Answer 12

Van Ijzendoorn
- found that culture plays a part in how and when we form attachments and with whom
- in many non-western cultures babies have multiple carers, this is the norm so multiple attachments are formed earlier