Stages of attachment: Schaffer & Emerson Flashcards
1
Q
what are some strengths of Schaffer & Emerson stages of attachment
A
- real world applications
- study has high ecological validity
2
Q
how were the stages of attachment applied to the real world
A
- provided an insight into day care and the effect it can have on children
- according to the stages of attachment theory children can be comforted by any adult during the beginning stages, however if they start day care during the specific discriminate attachment stage, the care from an unfamiliar adult can cause them distress and long-term problems
- this means that the stages of attachment can help parents make day care decisions
3
Q
why does Schaffer & Emerson study have high ecological validity
A
- the children were observed in their own home so they were more likely to act naturally
- this makes the results more accurate and generalisable to situations beyond the study settings and to children with the same background
4
Q
what are some limitations of Schaffer & Emerson research
A
- unreliable data
- low population validity and culture bias
5
Q
why is the data collected by Schaffer & Emerson unreliable
A
- the data collected was based on the mothers’ responses when interviewed
- they may have not reported accurate details as they may not be as sensitive towards their children and don’t want to seem like bad mothers
- this means the study suffers from social desirability bias making the results unreliable
6
Q
why dos Schaffer & Emerson research have low population validity and culture bias
A
- used a biased sample of working class children and mothers form Glasgow
- results cannot be generalised to other populations like children outside of the UK or of a lower or higher class
- results based on individualist cultures which are more concerned with their own needs or their immediate families so results cannot be generalised to collectivist cultures which focus on the needs of an entire group, sharing possessions and childcare
