Stages of Attachment- Schaffer

Question 1

What are the 4 stages of attachment?

Answer 1

-Asocial Attachment
-Indiscriminate Attachment
-Discriminate Attachment
-Multiple Attachment

Question 2

What age is the asocial stage?

Answer 2

birth to 3 months

Question 3

What is age the indiscriminate stage?

Answer 3

3-6 months (around)

Question 4

What age is the Discriminate attachment stage?

Answer 4

7 months onwards (around)

Question 5

What age is the Multiple Attachment stage?

Answer 5

10 months onwards (around)

Question 6

What is Asocial Attachment? (description)

Answer 6

-From birth infants produce similar responses to all objects (animate or inanimate)
-Towards end of stage (3 month mark), infants begin to show greater preference for social stimuli, such as a smiling face and more content when with people. (not specific)
-R and IS play role in establishing infants relationships with others
-No preference

Question 7

What is the indiscriminate stage?

Answer 7

-infants begin to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people (smiling more at known
-Still easily comforted by anyone, enjoy being with people
-Do not display stranger anxiety (no preference)

Question 8

What is the discriminate stage?

Answer 8

-Infants begin to develop specific attachments to one person ( primary care giver
-Shown through separation anxiety and joy on reunion (show pleasure)
-Also begin to display stranger anxiety as they avoid unfamiliar people and protest if strangers try handle them (show distress) (preference£

Question 9

What is the Multiple attachment stage?

Answer 9

-Soon after main attachment is formed, infant also develops a wider circle of multiple attachments (grandparents,siblings,father)
-Relationships called secondary attachments
-Infants display separation anxiety in these relationships (preference)

Question 10

What is separation anxiety?

Answer 10

Baby shows distress form baby when not in presence of care giver (e.g stop playing or engaging)

Question 11

What is stranger anxiety?

Answer 11

Baby shows distress when stranger attempts to handle them (protest)

Question 12

Who did the research into Stages of Attachment?

Answer 12

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 13

What are the four attachment behaviours? (biggest ways to determine attachment)

Answer 13

-Joy on reunion
-Separation Anxiety
-Stranger Anxiety
-Proximity Seeking
-

Question 14

What is proximity seeking?

Answer 14

-If an infant wants to stay close to care giver- seek pleasure knowing parent is there as a safe base

Question 15

What is was Schaffer and Emerson’s aim?

Answer 15

-to investigate the formation of early attachments, and to identify the distinct stages by which attachments form

Question 16

What was Schaffer and Emerson’s procedure?

Answer 16

-longitudinal study, conducted using 60 infants from many working class homes in Glasgow
-Mothers, and babies studied each month for first year of their lives in their own home and again the 18 months
-At each visit each mother reported their infants responses to separation
and seven every day situations (separation, anxiety)
-The researchers also assessed the infants anxiety response to unfamiliar adults (stranger anxiety) e.g. researcher

Question 17

what does the 60 infants being from mainly working class homes mean?

Answer 17

They could perhaps be treated differently

Question 18

why were the babies most likely studied at 18 months again?

Answer 18

Secondary attachment might be formed

Question 19

Where did the research take place?

Answer 19

at homes

Question 20

The findings of the research?

Answer 20

-first attachment usually formed between six and eight months
-mother=main attachment figure for 65% of children at 18 months old, 3% of infant studied, developed primary attachment to father
-18 months, old 31% of infants had formed attachments (to grandparents and siblings)
-research, as also found that primary attachments were not always formed with the person who spend time with the infant
-They observed that intensely attached the infants had mothers who responded quickly and sensitively to their signals and who offered their child most interaction.

Question 21

in the findings, who were babies attached to?

Answer 21

Mostly Socially sensitive mothers

Question 22

What was the conclusion of the research?

Answer 22

-they concluded that it is the quality of the relationship not quantity that mattered formation of attachments
(quality not quantity)