Stages of attachment Flashcards
What are the 4 stages of attachment identified by Schaffer and Emerson
Asocial
Indiscriminate
Specific
Multiple
What age does each stage occur
Asocial- first few weeks
Indiscriminate- 2-7 months
Specific- around 7 months
Multiple- around 7-12 months
What are the characteristics of an infant in their Asocial stage?
Baby forms bonds with certain people and these form the basis of later attachment
What are the characteristics of an infant in their indiscriminate stage?
Babies usually accept cuddles and comfort from any person. They do not usually show separation anxiety when caregivers leave their presence nor do they show stranger anxiety when in the presence of unfamiliar people
What are the characteristics of an infant in their specific stage?
Baby starts to display classic signs of attachment towards one person. These signs include stranger anxiety, especially when their caregiver is not present, and separation anxiety. At this point the infant forms the attachment with a primary attachment figure. This might not be the person the baby spends time with the most but the person who interacts most with the baby through ‘signals’
What are the characteristics of an infant in their multiple stage?
The baby starts to show attachment behaviour with multiple people rather than just one. These relationships are called secondary attachments. Schaffer and Emerson observed that 29% of babies formed secondary attachments within a month of their primary attachment.
What was Schaffer and Emersons sample size
60 working class Glaswegian infants
What was Schaffer and Emersons study
Longitudinal study over 18 months in Glasgow to measure the attachment types of an infant and their MOTHERS as only MOTHERS were believed to be the main attachment of infants
Strengths of Schaffer and Emersons Research
Good external validity- The study has good external validity because most research was conducted in a natural setting with most parents recording the observations in ordinary activities who recorded the information to research. This suggests that the babies were behaving naturally while being observed. However, An implication of this is that mothers and caregivers recording this information themselves would lead to them recording it subjectively for example mothers would not be aware if their baby was showing signs of anxiety. This therefore reduces the validity of the study because even if the babies were behaving naturally, the data might not have been recorded accurately
Longitudinal design- The longitudinal design of the study means that data can be recorded over time allowing the babies to naturally develop and allow the researcher to identify the stages of attachment over time as stages are usually progressed within months meaning data measured every day would not likely be useful unless behaviour changes. If all babies are measured at the same points, it means data is more reliable and data can be compared to other babies.
Weaknesses of Schaffer and Emerson’s research
Small sample size- 60 working class Glaswegian families used in the sample suggests that the sample size is very small as it is a specific demographic of people therefore limiting its ability for the results to be generalised outside the sample to the wider population
Methodology- The reliance for the mother to report their infants behaviour may negatively affect the study because mothers will tend to measure the behaviour subjectively instead of objectively. This makes it a lot more likely for mothers to miss certain behaviours such as anxiety meaning the results may not be very accurate even if the baby was behaving naturally.
Lacks temporal validity- Schaffer and Emerson’s findings may lack temporal validity as the study was conducted in 1964. Therefore, with the advancements into caregiving and better understanding of caregiving since 1964 as well as societal norms and parenting practices.
