The Development of Attachment

Question 1

Describe the key study on the stages of attachment

Answer 1

• Schaffer and Emerson studied Glaswegian working class mothers and their infants
• At the beginning of the study, infants were 5-23 weeks old. They were studied until 1 year old, revisited at 18 months old
• The mothers were visited every 4 weeks and asked to report on how their infants behaved in a range of everyday situations e.g. being left alone in a room or with other people.
• The infants’ stranger anxiety was also measured at the 4 week interval by assessing the infants’ response to the interviewer

Question 2

Describe stage 1 of attachment (asocial stage)

Answer 2

• From birth to 2 months, infants have a similar response to animate or inanimate objects.
• Towards the end of this stage, they begin to show a greater preference for social stimuli and are more content with people.
• During this stage, reciprocity and interactional synchrony play a role in establishing the infant’s relationships with others

Question 3

Describe stage 2 of attachment (indiscriminate stage)

Answer 3

• At 4 months, infants become more social, prefer human company to inanimate objects and can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people.
• They are still easily comforted by anyone and don’t show stranger anxiety.

Question 4

Describe stage 3 of attachment (discriminate stage)

Answer 4

By 7 months, infants show separation anxiety and show joy at reunion with their primary attachment figure. They also begin to show stranger anxiety

Question 5

Describe Schaffer and Emerson’s findings on how primary attachment figure forms in the discriminate stage

Answer 5

• They found primary attachments weren’t always with the person that the infant spends most time with, rather those who responded quickly and sensitively to social releasers. So, it was the quality of relationship that mattered most when forming an attachment
• In 65% of the children, the first attachment was to the mother, while fathers were rarely the sole attachment (3%)

Question 6

Describe stage 4 of attachment (multiple attachments stage)

Answer 6

After the main attachment is formed, infants develop multiple attachments, depending on how many consistent relationships they have.

Question 7

Describe Schaffer and Emerson’s findings on multiple attachemtns

Answer 7

• They found within a month of first becoming attached, 29% of infants had multiple attachments to someone else, secondary attachments. Infants also show separation anxiety in these relationships
• Within 6 months it had risen to 78%. So by the age of 1 year, most infants had developed multiple attachments.

Question 8

Give evaluation for the stages of attachment (validity)

Answer 8

• Data collected by Schaffer and Emerson may be unreliable as it was based on the mothers’ report of their infants. Some mothers may have lower sensitive responsiveness to their infants and would be less likely to report them, creating systematic bias which challenges the validity of the data
• However, they conducted the experiment in a natural environment (home) and as the mothers reported to the researchers (other than for stranger anxiety), the infants behaviour was unlikely to be affected by the presence of observers. It’s likely they behaved naturally so their study has good external validity.

Question 9

Give evaluation for the stages of attachment (biased)

Answer 9

• The sample is biased. It came from a working-class population so the findings cannot be applied to all social groups. The sample was from 1960s, and parental care has changed a lot since then. More women go out to work so many children are cared for outside the home, or fathers stay at home and become the main caregiver.
• Cohen at al found the number of dads who choose to stay at home and care for the family has quadrupled over the past 25 years.
• Therefore, if Schaffer and Emerson’s study was repeated today the findings would be different, lowering the reliability of their study,

Question 10

Give evidence that fathers can’t form nurturing attachments

Answer 10

• Schaffer and Emerson found fathers were less likely to be the primary attachment figure than mothers.
• Men may not be psychologically equipped as they lack the emotional sensitivity that women offer, may be due to biological or social factors.
• Oestrogen underlies caring behaviour so women are, generally, more oriented towards interpersonal goals than men. Some cultural expectations continue to have sex stereotypes that affect male behaviour, like being sensitive to the need of others is seen as feminine.
• Heerman et al found that men were less sensitive to infant cues than mothers

Question 11

Give evidence that men are capable of forming nurturing attachments

Answer 11

• Frodi et al showed videotapes of infants crying and found no differences in the physiological responses of men and women
• So men can be primary attachment figures but biological and social factors may discourage this

Question 12

Give evidence that the fathers role is different, a ‘playmate’

Answer 12

• Research has highlighted the fact fathers are more playful, physically active and better at providing challenging situations for their children.
• Geiger suggested a father is an exciting playmate whereas mothers are more conventional and tend to read stories to their children

Question 13

Give evaluation for research into the role of the father (focusing on fathers as secondary attachment figures could be seen as gender bias)

Answer 13

• Research into the role of the father assumes the mother is the primary caregiver. e.g. the research question ‘what is the role of the father?’ suggests the role is likely to be different from the mothers
• So attachment research may be gynocentric, as it centres on the mother being the attachment figure.
• This may have socially sensitive implications for single fathers who, from this research, feel incapable of providing the infant with the care needed to support attachment development