The development of attachment Flashcards
Who developed the 4 stages of attachment?
Schaffer and Emerson.
What are the 4 stages of attachment?
Indiscriminate attachments. Beginnings of attachment. Discriminate attachment. Multiple attachments.
Describe Schaffer and Emerson’s longitudinal study into the development of attachment.
60 working class Glasgow infants. Mothers visited every 4 weeks for a year. Reported extent of infant’s response to different separation scenarios. Found that with age, stranger anxiety increased, and a specific attachment developed.
Describe key processes in indiscriminate attachment stage.
Similar response to all objects. Interactional synchrony and reciprocity.
Describe key processes in beginnings of attachment stage.
Prefer human company. Stranger anxiety. More social.
Describe key processes in discriminate attachment stage.
Separation anxiety. Joy in reunion. Develop primary attachment figure.
Describe key processes in multiple attachments stage.
Multiple attachments - more than 1 attachment figure
(A03) Why is the Schaffer and Emerson study unreliable?
Based on mother’s reports. Some may interpret behaviours differently. Also social desirability bias. Systematic bias - validity.
(A03) What was the issue with the sample used by Schaffer and Emerson? (2 paragraphs from this)
1) Biased sample: working class, Glasgow. May not apply to population and other social groups. Reduces impact that the study can have etc.
2) Temporal (time) validity: 1960s. Gender roles of mothers changed. Findings may not be applicable now.
(A03) Why is the worldwide impact of the Schaffer and Emerson study limited?
Does not apply to other cultures. Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg differences in attachment types collectivist and individualist cultures. Shows importance of culture - stages may not be same (don’t develop primary attachment figure etc.)