Stages of Attachment Flashcards
Outline the asocial stage of attachment
Birth to 3 months
Baby produces similar responses to all objects (animate and inanimate)
End of stage they begin to show preference for social stimuli and are more content w ppl
Reciprocity and IS play role in establishing relationships w others
Outline indiscriminate stage of attachment
3 to 6 months
Discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar ppl eg smile more at known ppl
Easily comforted by anyone and enjoy being w ppl
Do not display stranger anxiety
Outline the discriminate stage
7 months
Develop specific attachment to 1 person / primary caregiver
(Shown through separation anxiety and joy on reunion)
Display stranger anxiety / avoid unfamiliar ppl / protest if stranger handles them
Outline multiple attachment stage
10 months
Develop wider circle of multiple attachments eg grandparents and siblings called secondary attachments
Infants display separation anxiety for secondary attachments too
What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment?
To investigate formation of early attachments and to identify distinct stages by which attachments form
Outline the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment
Naturalistic observation, longitudinal study
60 infants from working class homes in Glasgow
Mothers and babies studied each month for first year of life and again at 18 months (in their own home)
Mothers reported infants responses to separation in 7 everyday situations (separation anxiety)
Researcher assessed infants responses to unfamiliar adults (stranger anxiety)
Outline the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s study into stages of attachment
1st attachment usually formed in 6 to 8 months
Mother was main attachment figure for 65% of 18 month year olds
Only 3% had primary attachment to father
By 18 months, 31% infants had formed multiple attachments eg to grandparents
Primary attachment not always formed w person who spent most time w infant
Intensely attached infants had mothers who responded quickly and sensitively to their signals
What did Schaffer and Emerson conclude from their research?
Quality of relationships more important than quantity when forming attachments
Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson’s research into stages of attachment using the validity
Strength is study has mundane realism
Carried out in family’s own homes and most observation done by parents during ordinary activities and reported to researcher later
So behaviour of babies unlikely to be affected by presence of observers so ppts behaved naturally
However some of the data based on mothers reports
Some mothers less sensitive to infants protests therefore less likely to report them
Creates a systematic bias which would challenge validity of the data
Evaluate research into stages of attachment using the biased sample
Criticism of research is sample used
Used small sample of 60 babies and carers from same district and social class
Limitation as child rearing practices differ from one culture to another
Also reach conducted in 1960s and parental care has changed considerably since then as more women go out to work so many children are cared for by other family members or in day acre settings
Suggests findings lack temporal validity and questions whether findings can be generalised to other social and historical contexts
Evaluate research on the stages of attachment using the problems with assessing multiple attachments
Limitation of research into multiple attachments is may be problem w how multiple attachments are assessed
Just because infant distressed when individual leaves room, doesn’t always mean they are true attachment figure
Bowlby (1969) said children have playmates as well as attachment figures and may be distressed when playmate leaves but doesn’t signify an attachment
Limitation as Schaffer and Emerson’s view on stages of attachment doesn’t give a way to distinguish between behaviour shown towards secondary attachment figures vs playmates
Evaluate stages of attachment using the idea that multiple attachments are just as important as one primary attachment
Schaffer and Emerson’s research indicates infants form attachments to primary caregivers before developing multiple attachments and this is important for social and emotional development
However Thomas (1989) suggests tendency to from a single, main attachment is not good for healthy psychological development and more desirable to have variety of different attachments that meet growing needs of infant
Also, are cultural differences in formation of attachments
Eg in collectivist cultures infants form multiple attachments from the onset rather than to 1 primary caregiver (Van Ijzendoorn et al)
Suggests mixed evidence for hierarchical attachment as suggested by Schaffer and Emerson
