Stages of Attatchment (AO1 + AO3)

Question 1

Who researched the stages of attachment?

Answer 1

Schaffer & Emerson

Question 2

What were the Aims of S + E ‘s research?

Answer 2

to assess whether there’s a pattern of attachment formation common to all infants
+
to identify distinct stages by which attachments form

Question 3

What were the Procedures of S + E ‘s research?

Answer 3

60 newborn babies and their mothers - families from a working class area of Glasgow
+
conducted observations as well as interviews w the mothers
+
interview questions like “Who does the baby smile at?” “Who causes the baby distress?”

Question 4

What were the Measures of attachment in S + E ‘s research?

Answer 4

attachment was measured in 2 ways:
- separation anxiety
- stranger anxiety

Question 5

What is Separation Anxiety?

Answer 5

being upset when the caregiver leaves

Question 6

What is Stranger Anxiety?

Answer 6

being upset when a stranger enters + is not comforted by the stranger

Question 7

What was the Findings of S + E ‘s research?
(general findings)

Answer 7

attachment behaviour develops in stages loosely linked to age
+
strongly attached infants had mothers who responded to their needs quickly + had more interaction

Question 8

What was the Findings of S + E ‘s research?
(% of attachments)

Answer 8

65% first attached to their mothers
3% to their father
39% NOT to person who fed/spent most time with infant

at 18 months:
87% had at least 2 attachments
31% had 5+

Question 9

What were the Conclusions of S + E ‘s research?

Answer 9

there is a pattern of attachment formation common to all infants, suggesting the process is biologically controlled
+
attachments are made with those displaying sensitive responsiveness, recognising/ responding to the infant’s needs
+
multiple attachments are the norm + of similar quality (opposing B’s monotropic theory)

Question 10

GRAVE?

Answer 10

G :( only working class mothers from Glasgow
R :) been replicated many times
A :) can tell mothers when is best to send children to nursery
V :) good ecological validity - natural
E :) no harm to the child

Question 11

What is the age range of the first stage of attachment?

Answer 11

0-6 weeks

Question 12

What is the first stage of attachment?

Answer 12

pre-attachment/ asocial stage:
- babies produce similar responses to all people
- babies behaviour towards non-human objects and humans is quite similar
- show some preference for familiar adults
- happier when in the presence of humans

Question 13

What is the age range of the second stage of attachment?

Answer 13

6 weeks - 7 months

Question 14

What is the second stage of attachment?

Answer 14

indiscriminate attachment:
- babies become more social
- show a preference for people over objects now
- recognise + prefer familiar adults
- accept comfort off of anyone
- don’t show separation/stranger anxiety

Question 15

What is the age range of the third stage of attachment?

Answer 15

7-9 months

Question 16

What is the third stage of attachment?

Answer 16

discriminate/specific attachment:
- child is primarily attached to the main caregiver
- babies begin to show separation/stranger anxiety
- baby looks for particular people for security, comfort + protection

Question 17

What is the age range of the fourth stage of attachment?

Answer 17

10 months onwards

Question 18

What is the fourth stage of attachment?

Answer 18

multiple attachments:
- multiple attachments follow soon after the first attachment is made
- baby shows attachment behaviours towards several different people (secondary attachments) e.g. siblings, grandparents etc.

Question 19

4 points of PEEL
(stages of attachment)

Answer 19

✕ methodological issues
✕ categorisation of behaviours
✓ real-world applications
PICL

Question 20

methodological issues - EEL

Answer 20

lacks generalisability bc 60 working class mothers from Glasgow

BUT good internal validity bc longitudinal study = eliminates individual differences

+ good ecological validity bc naturalistic observations in own home = real behaviour

Question 21

categorisation of behaviours - EEL

Answer 21

hard to measure attachment behaviour in the asocial stages bc babies = immobile + poor coordination

+ separation anxiety not necessarily a measure of true attachment e.g. children get upset when playmate leaves but doesn’t always signify attachment

= brings into question the internal validity of S + E’s research bc may not have correctly operationalised their behavioural categories

Question 22

real-world applications - EEL

Answer 22

shows anyone can look after the child in stage 1 + 2

stage 3 = when normally sent to nursery but study shows time of high separation anxiety

therefore helps inform parents abt when to send to nursery

Question 23

PICL for stages of attachment

Answer 23

S + E’s stages of attachment research shows attachment is based in the idea of nature - behaviour is biologically determined by age

A strength of nature is that it can help develop treatments and interventions. Interventions could be developed to adjust childcare around these stages

However, stages of attachment could be due to other factors e.g. higher levels of sensitive responsiveness

Therefore it may be better to explain S + E’s research using both nature and nurture - the interactionist approach