stages of attachment and multiple attachments

Question 1

what was Schaffer & Emerson’s (1964) method?

Answer 1

• 60 babies (31 male, 29 female) from Glasgow from skilled w/c families
• they were visited at home every month for a year then at 18 months
• they asked the mothers about the kind of protest the babies showed in seven everyday separations, e.g. adult leaving the room to measure the infant’s attachment
• they also assessed stranger anxiety - the infant’s anxiety response to unfamiliar adults.

Question 2

what did Schaffer & Emerson (1964) find?

Answer 2

• between 25 and 32 weeks, 50% of the babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards an adult, usually the mother (specific attachment).
• attachments were most likely to form with carers who were sensitive to the baby’s signals (reciprocity),
  this suggests that being sensitive and responsive is more instrumental in attachment development than physical care.
• By the age of 10 months 80% of the babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments. (attachments to two or more people) Most babies develop multiple attachments once they have formed one attachment to a main carer.

Question 3

2 strengths of Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 3

1. it was a longitudinal study and the same children were followed-up and observed regularly. this means the study has high internal validity as there are no confounding variables
2. 60 babies and their carers is a large sample size, considering the research was longitudinal. therefore, the sample is representative of the target population and could provide an accurate insight into the attachments of carers in Glasgow from a working class background

Question 4

2 limitations of Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 4

1. all the families were from the same social class in the same city over 50 years ago. child-rearing practices vary from culture to culture. therefore, the study lacks population and temporal validity
2. there are issues with validity, including demand characteristics and social desirability as mothers aren’t likely to report negative experiences

Question 5

what are the 4 stages of attachment identified by Schaffer & Emerson (1964)?

Answer 5

1. asocial stage
2. indiscriminate attachment
3. specific attachment
4. multiple attachment

Question 6

how old are babies in the asocial stage?

Answer 6

from birth to first few weeks

Question 7

how old are babies in the indiscriminate attachment stage?

Answer 7

from 2 to 7 months

Question 8

how old are babies in the specific attachment stage?

Answer 8

from around 7 months

Question 9

how old are babies in the multiple attachment stage?

Answer 9

from around 10/11+ months

Question 10

what are babies like in the asocial stage?

Answer 10

• behaviour towards non-human objects and humans is similar
• show some preference for familiar adults as they find it easier to calm them.
• happier in the presence of other humans.

Question 11

what are babies like in the indiscriminate attachment stage?

Answer 11

• display more observable social behaviour
• show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects, and recognise and prefer familiar adults
• accept cuddles and comfort from any adult, and don’t show separation or stranger anxiety
• it is said to be indiscriminate because it is not different towards any one person

Question 12

what are babies like in the specific attachment stage?

Answer 12

• display anxiety towards strangers and become anxious when separated from one particular adult (the biological mother in 65% of cases)
• formed a specific attachment (primary attachment figure) this person is the one who offers the most interaction and responds to the baby’s ‘signals’ best

Question 13

what are babies like in the multiple attachment stage?

Answer 13

• extend attachment behaviour to form multiple attachments with other adults who they regularly spend time with (secondary attachments)
• by about one year old the majority of infants had developed multiple attachments

Question 14

1 limitation of stages of attachment

Answer 14

Other psychologists, in particular those who work in those cultural contexts where multiple caregivers are the norm, believe babies form multiple attachments from the outset (Van lizendoorn et al. 1993). these are collectivist cultures because families work together jointly in everything such as producing food and child rearing.