Stages of Attatchment

Question 1

What is meant by a primary attachment?

Answer 1

The first bond the infant makes (usually with the mother)

Question 2

What is meant by multiple attachments?

Answer 2

When the infant has more than one attachment

Question 3

Who came up with the stages of attachment?

Answer 3

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 4

What are the stages of attachment?

Answer 4

Stage 1 - Pre - attachment phase
Stage 2 - Indiscriminate attachment phase
Stage 3 - Discriminate attachment phase
Stage 4 - Multiple attachments

Question 5

What is meant by the pre attachment phase?

Answer 5

Occurs between birth and the age of 3 months, where infants become attracted to other humans, preferring them to objects and events. This is demonstrated by them smiling at other peoples faces.

Question 6

What is meant by the indiscriminate attachment phase?

Answer 6

Occurs between 3 and 7/8 months, Infants begin to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people. They smile at more known people and are extremely sociable. They will still allow strangers to handle and look after them and do not yet show stranger anxiety

Question 7

What is meant by the discriminate attachment phase?

Answer 7

Occurs 7/8 months onwards, Infants begin to develop specific attachments with their primary caregiver. They stay close to specific people and begin to show separation and stranger anxiety. Furthermore, they avoid unfamiliar people and protest if strangers try to handle them

Question 8

What is meant by multiple attachments phase?

Answer 8

Occurs from 9 months onwards, infants form string emotional ties with other major caregivers like grandparents, and non - caregivers like other children. The fear of strangers weakens, but attachments to the mother figure remains strongest

Question 9

Who researched into stages of attachment?

Answer 9

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 10

What was Schaffer and Emerson’s aim?

Answer 10

To investigate whether there are stages of attachment and development

Question 11

What was Schaffer and Emerson’s Procedure?

Answer 11

60 infants from working class families in Glasgow were studied. Infants were aged between 5 and 23 weeks and were observed up to being a year old.
Mothers were visited every 4 weeks where they reported:
Response to separation
Protest from babies on separation
To whom the protest was directed
Response to the interviewer at each visit

Question 12

What were Schaffer and Emerson’s Results?

Answer 12

The stages of attachment were visible with 50 children at 8 months old having more than on attachment. About 20 of them had no attachment with the mother or a stronger attachment with someone else even though the mother was the main carer

Question 13

What were Schaffer and Emerson’s Conclusion?

Answer 13

The stages of attachment appear in the majority of people with quality of care playing an important role in attachment

Question 14

Why are fathers less likely to be primary caregiver?

Answer 14

As they spend less time on infants on average and there are psychological differences - potentially women are more caring due to oestrogen

Question 15

Why are fathers more likely to be the secondary attachment?

Answer 15

Because often they are more playful and provide more ‘challenging’ situations for the child

Question 16

What did Ross et al (1975) Find?

Answer 16

That the number of nappies changed positively correlated with the strength of the attachment formed

Question 17

What factors are identified in the relationship between fathers and children?

Answer 17

Degree of sensitivity - sensitive fathers develop more secure attachments
Type of attachments with their own parents - single parent fathers develop similar attachments with their children as they had with their fathers
Marital Intimacy - A strong marital relationship is correlated with a strong attachment
Supportive co parenting

Question 18

Strengths of stages of attachment and the father’s role?

Answer 18

Supported by Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
Lamb (1987) found that when men became primary caregivers, they quickly develop a sensitivity to a child’s needs implying a sensitivity is not just limited to women
The research is completed in naturalistic observational settings therefore external validity is high

Question 19

Weaknesses of stages of attachment and father’s role?

Answer 19

At the pre attachment stage, it is difficult to assess the babies as they are immobile and have poor co ordination. Therefore, it can be difficult to infer their attachment
Conflicting evidence of who is the more important attachment - mother or father?
It is hard to know who the person being used in the study is true attachment figure
Research is based on self report and may be unreliable
Much of the research on fathers is correlational therefore it would be difficult to establish cause and effect regarding the father’s impact
Single parents are not accounted for as part of this theory as the father may be the primary caregiver or may not be available for multiple attachments questioning how this is applicable to modern families