Stages of Attachment

Question 1

Describe the procedure of the Stages of attachment study

Answer 1

Schaffer and Emerson
- observational study
- involved 60 babies from Glasgow
- researchers visited mothers in their home every month for the first year and again at 18 months
- asked mothers about the protest their babies showed in everyday separations
- also assessed babies stranger anxiety

Question 2

Describe the first stage of attachment

Answer 2

Asocial
- 0-6 weeks
- baby responds to humans + inanimate objects similarly
- demonstrates slight preference for people, especially those familiar to them
- infant begins forming bonds w people

Question 3

Describe the second stage of attachment

Answer 3

Indiscriminate Attachment
- 2-7 months
- Babies begin to prefer people to objects
- prefer company of familiar people
- happy to accept comfort + cuddles form any adult
- show no separation or stranger anxiety

Question 4

Describe the third stage of attachment

Answer 4

Specific Attachment
- from 7 months
- show preference for 1 adult (for 65% in S&E study was the mother)
- show separation and stranger anxiety
- said to form specific attachment to the most receptive adult —> one who offers most interaction and responds to the baby

Question 5

Describe the final stage of attachment

Answer 5

Multiple Attachments
- up to 1 year
- Secondary attachments formed with individuals the baby regularly spends time with
- 29% of infants in S&E formed 2ndary attachments within a month of forming specific attachment

Question 6

What are some strengths of the stages of attachment study?

Answer 6

+ Good ecological validity - takes place in the natural setting; no artificial tasks, giving us natural behaviour
+ Longitudinal design - followed up with same babies avoids confounding variables/ participant variables of using different babies

Question 7

What are the limitations of the stages of attachment study?

Answer 7

— Lacks population validity; only studied babies form Glasgow, mostly working class families —> cannot be generalised
- also small sample, as well as lacking temporal validity due to taking place in the 60s
— Self report method - subjective recordings, also successible to social desirability bias —> parents may minimise bad behaviour, also may misremember giving us inaccurate findings