The Role of the Father

Question 1

Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 1

They found that 75% of the infants in their study formed a secondary attachment to their father by the age of 18 months with 29% doing so within a month of forming a primary attachment, as demonstrated by separation anxiety. This suggests that the father is important, but is unlikely to be the first person to which the child develops an
attachment to. However, this does not mean that the father cannot become the primary attachment figure

Question 2

Tiffany Field

Answer 2

She observed interactions between infants and their primary caregiver mothers or fathers, and found that primary caregivers, regardless of gender, were more attentive towards the infant and spent more time holding and smiling at them. This suggests that although mothers are often expected to become primary attachment figures, this does not always have to be the case