stages of attachment

Question 1

Shaffer and emerson study

Answer 1

Aim : Investigate the formation of early attachments and the age, at which they develop

Procedure: 60 babies, 31, male 29 female from Glasgow working-class families
Longitudinal study babies were visited every month for years, then again at 18 months

Question 2

Schaffer and Emerson findings

Answer 2

-50% of babies 25 to 32 weeks had a specific attachment
-39% attached to caregiver who did not feed them
-Attachment tended to be toward the most sensitive and interactive caregivers
-By 40 weeks, 80% had specific attachments and 30% had multiple attachments

Question 3

Schaffer and Emersons conclusions form the study

Answer 3

• Responsiveness was key to attachment
  -Intensely attached infants had very responsive parents
  -Weakly attached infants had mothers, who didn’t interact
  Lead to production of four stages:
  asocial
  indiscriminate
  specific
  multiple

Question 4

what is the asocial stage

Answer 4

-First few weeks,
-Baby recognises and forms bonds with caregivers
-Behaviour towards objects and humans is the same
-Shows preference to familiar adults

Question 5

what is the indiscriminate stage

Answer 5

-2-7months
-Displays more observable social behaviours
-preference for people over objects and recognise and prefers familiar adults
-Accepts comfort form anyone
-No stranger/separation anxiety

Question 6

what is the specific attachment stage

Answer 6

-7+ months
-Anxiety towards strangers
-Seperation anxiety from specific attachment

Question 7

what is the multiple attachment stage

Answer 7

-8+ months
-Multiple secondary attachments
-Form quickly after specific attachment