stages of development evaluation Flashcards
(p) the study conducted by schaffer and emerson is high in ecological validity
(e)
● for example, most of the observations were made by parents during ordinary activities and then reported to researchers
● alternative would be to have observers present in babies homes
● which could mean they act unnaturally as they get older
(c)
● this means that it is highly likely that the participants behaved naturally while being observed
● therefore, these stages of attachment generalise to formulation of real life relationships
(counter)
● however, there could be issues of internal validity with the research
● mothers have been biased in what they have reported e.g. they may show social desirability bias and say their child shows less separation anxiety then they actually do
● therefore, even if babies behaved naturally their behaviour may not have been accurately recorded
(p) there is poor evidence for the asocial stage
(e)
● for example, it could be that babies are actually very sociable at this stage
● but because they can not physically communicate / show it (as young babies have poor coordination and are generally immobile), this means that they appear to look social
● also, we can not ask them what they are thinking / feeling in this stage to clarify
(c)
● this means that babies might actually be quite social
● but because of flawed methods they appear to be anti-social
(p) another strength is real-world application to day care
(e)
● in the early stages (indiscriminate), babies can be comforted by any skilled adult
● however, if a child starts daycare later, during the stage of specific attachments
● care form an unfamiliar adult may cause distress and longer term problems
(c)
● strength because schaffer and emerson’s stages can help parents make informed decisions about day care
(p) issue of generalisability with the stages of attachment
(e)
● child-rearing practices vary considerably according to cultural context
● e.g researchers in other cultures (particularly collectivist) have argued that it is the norm in those cultures for child to form multiple attachment first
● as caregivers working jointly together are the norms in those cultures
(c)
● this means that these stages cannot explain attachments in all cultures
● and there is a risk of not understanding other culture’s attachment if these stages are used
