Stages of attachment Flashcards
What are the 4 stages of attachment development?
Pre-attachment phase
Indiscriminate attachment phase
Discriminate attachment phase
Multiple attachment phase
When does the pre-attachment phase occur?
Birth to three months
What are the features of the pre-attachment phase?
Infants become attracted to other humans, preferring them to other objects after 6 weeks. They smile at people’s faces
When does the indiscriminate attachment phase occur?
3 - 7/8 months
What are the features of the indiscriminate attachment phase?
Begin to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people, smiling more at known people. They still allow strangers to hold them
When does the discriminate attachment phase occur?
7/8 months
What are the features of the discriminate attachment phase?
They begin to develop specific attachments, staying close to particular people and becoming distressed when they are separated from them.
Avoid unfamiliar people and protest if strangers try to handle them
When does the multiple attachments phase occur?
After 9 months
What are the features of the multiple attachments phase?
The infants form strong emotional ties with other major caregivers, eg grandparents.
The fear of strangers weakens but the attachment to the mother remains the strongest
What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
To assess whether there is a pattern of attachment formation that was common to all infants and to identify and describe the distinct stages by which attachments form
What was the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Longitudinal study of 60 newborn babies from mothers in the working class area of Glasgow. they were studied each month for the first year of their lives in their homes and again at 18 months Observations were conducted and interviews with the mothers
How was attachment measured in Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
separation anxiety
stranger anxiety
What were the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Most infants started to show separation protest when parted with their attachment figure between 6-8 months, stranger anxiety shown one month later
Strongly attached infants had mothers who responded quickly to their needs and gave more opportunities for attachments to be formed
Most infants went on to form multiple attachments, by 18 months, 87% of the infants had at least 2 attachments, 31% had 5 or more attachments
39% of infants’ prime attachment was not the main carer
What conclusions can be drawn from Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
There is a pattern of attachment formation common to all infants, suggesting they are biologically controlled
Attachments are more easily made with those who display sensitive responsiveness, recognising and responding appropriately to the needs of the infants - more important that spending the most time
What are some strengths of Schaffer and Emerson’s research?
Longitudinal study - lots of detail
Supporting evidence
Mundane realism - conducted under every day conditions so it has high validity
