Studies on the Role of the Father

Question 1

What was the research aim in Ross et al. (1975)?

Answer 1

To investigate the impact of carrying out caretaking duties on parental attachment.

Question 2

What was the research procedure in Ross et al. (1975)?

Answer 2

• Correlational study.
• Measuring numbers of nappies changed and strength of attachment.

Question 3

What were the results of Ross et al. (1975)?

Answer 3

A positive correlation was found between the number of nappies changed and the strength of the father-child attachment.

Question 4

What was concluded in Ross et al. (1975)?

Answer 4

The more time a father spends engaged in caregiver activities, the stronger the attachment will be.

Question 5

What are the strengths of Ross et al. (1975)?

Answer 5

• Easy to replicate.
• Practical applications for parenting and forming an attachment.

Question 6

What are the weaknesses of Ross et al. (1975)?

Answer 6

• Lacks temporal validity as more fathers change nappies than they did in 1975.
• Correlation doesn’t equal cause.

Question 7

What was the research aim in Caldera (2004)?

Answer 7

To investigate the impact of carrying out caretaking duties on parental attachment.

Question 8

What was the research procedure in Caldera (2004)?

Answer 8

60 fathers and mothers of 14-month old infants independently described their child using the 90-item AQS.
- Completed questionnaires about their involvement in and attitudes towards child-rearing.

Question 9

What were the results of Caldera (2004)?

Answer 9

• When fathers were engaged in caretaking activities they were much more likely to report a strong attachment bond.
• There was a high concordance rate between the mother’s and father’s AQS responses.

Question 10

What was concluded in Caldera (2004)?

Answer 10

The more time a father spends engaged in caregiver activities, the stronger the attachment will be.

Question 11

What were the strengths in Caldera (2004)?

Answer 11

• Easy to replicate.
• Practical applications for parenting and forming an attachment.

Question 12

What is a weakness of Caldera (2004)?

Answer 12

Demand characteristics and social desirability may be present in the responses to the questionnaire.

Question 13

What was the research aim of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)?

Answer 13

To investigate attachment styles in different cultures using Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation.

Question 14

What was the research procedure of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)?

Answer 14

A meta-analysis of 32 cross-cultural studies of attachment.

Question 15

What were the results of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)?

Answer 15

• Great Britain had the most secure attachments (75%).
• West Germany had the most avoidant attachments (35%).
• Israel had the most resistant attachments (29%).

Question 16

What was concluded in Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)?

Answer 16

• Although secure attachment was the most common type, there are cultural variations which may be explained by child rearing styles rather than attachment problems.
• The Strange Situation does appear to be culturally biased towards Western child rearing practices.

Question 17

What is a strength of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)?

Answer 17

• Provided evidence that the Strange Situatuon is a useful diagnostic tool.

Question 18

What are the weaknesses of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)?

Answer 18

• Apart from the USA, there were very small sample sizes so the results cannot be generalised.
• The variations within cultures is greater than between cultures.
• Not suitable for studying corss-cultural variations as it’s based on Western ideals.