Stages of attachment (Attachment)

Question 1

Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 1

Method: 60 babies were observed in their homes in Glasgow every month birth to one year and again at 18 months. Interviews were conducted in their homes.

Results: The stages of attachment formation were found to occur. At 8 months of age about 50 of the infants had more than one attachment. About 20 of them either had no attachment with their mother or had a stronger attachment with someone else, even though the mother was always the main carer.

Conclusion: infants form attachments in stages and can eventually attach to many people. Quality of care is important in forming attachment, so the infant may not attach to their mother if other people respond more accurately to their signals.

Question 2

Attachment stage 1

Answer 2

Asocial stage/pre-attachment phase
-first few weeks
-infant is forming bonds with and recognises carers
-behaviour is similar towards human and non-human objects
-babies are happier in the presence of other familiar humans

Question 3

Attachment stage 2

Answer 3

Indiscriminate/diffuse phase
-from 2-7 months, displaying observable social behaviours
-preference for people rather than inanimate objects
-babies accept cuddles and comfort from any adult and do not usually show separation or stranger anxiety

Question 4

Attachment stage 3

Answer 4

Discriminate/single phase
-around 7 months, majority of babies start to show anxiety towards strangers or when they are separated from one particular adult (65% their biological mother)
-adult is the primary attachment figure but is not necessarily the person they spend the most time with, but the one who offers the most interaction

Question 5

Attachment stage 4

Answer 5

Multiple attachments
-secondary attachment to people babies spend a lot of time with
-normally occurs before on year

Question 6

(Evaluation of Stages of attachment) Good external validity

Answer 6

conducted in participants’ own homes and most of the observations were done by the parents during normal activities
behaviour of the babies was not effected by researchers
babies behaved naturally

Question 7

(Evaluation of Stages of attachment) Longitudinal design

Answer 7

same children were observed over a period of time. Cross sectional design (children at different ages). LD, better internal validity as they do not have confounding variables of individual differences between partcipants

Question 8

(Evaluation of Stages of attachment) Limited sample characteristics

Answer 8

Research is limited due to participants being from the same town, same social class and over 50 years ago. Child rearing practices vary from culture and historical events

Question 9

(Evaluation of Stages of attachment) Issues studying the asocial stage

Answer 9

firstly, it is very difficult to gather any meaningful data from infants at this age as they are immobile and have little coordination. Secondly, evidence has shown that infants are social at this age, e.g., Melzoff and Moore- ability to imitate at 2 weeks. Evidence has also shown that babies prefer their mother’s face/voice to that of a stranger.

Question 10

(Evaluation of Stages of attachment) Measuring multiple attachment

Answer 10

how do we measure ‘true’ attachment? Bowlby 1969 pointed out that children have playmates as well as attachment figures and may get distressed when a playmate leaves the room, which does not signify attachment.