The Role of the Father

Question 1

What avaliable evidence is there to suggest that fathers are less likely to become babies’ first attachment figures compared to mothers?

Answer 1

Schaffer & Emerson:
Found that majority of babies first became attatched to their mothers at around 7mo

In only 3% of cases father was sole object of attachment

In 27% if cases father was joint first object of attachment with mother

Question 2

What study was carried out to see if caregiving men make a unique contribution to early development?

Answer 2

Klaus Grossmann et al (2002)
* Carried out a longitudinal study where babies attachment was studied till their teens

• Researcher looked at both parents behaviours & its realationship to the quality of their baby’s later attachments to other people

Question 3

What were Klaus Grossmanns findings?

Answer 3

• Quality of a baby’s attachment with mothers not fathers was related to attachments in adolescence
• Suggesting that attachment to fathers is less important than attachment to mothers

However appears most fathers do go on to become an important attachment figure 75% of babies studied by Sch&Emer formed attachment with father by 18 months

Question 4

What are primary & secondary attachments?

Answer 4

Primary attachment- The first specific attachment
Secondary attachment- Later attachments

Question 5

What makes the primary attachment the most important type of attachment?

(not just being first)

Answer 5

• A baby’s primary attachment has emotional significance
• Baby’s relationship with their PA forms the basis of all later close emotional relationships

Evidence to suggest when fathers take on role as primary caregiver they adopt the emotional role typically associated with mothers

Question 6

Give an example of a study whereby when the father is primary caregiver & they begin to adopt the emotional role associated with mothers

Answer 6

Tiffany Field (1978)
* Filmed 4 month old babies in face-to-face interaction with Primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers & primary caregiver fathers

Question 7

What were Tiffany Field’s findings?

Answer 7

PC fathers like PC mothers spent more time smiling,imitating & holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers

Seems fathers have potential to be the more emotion-focused primary attachment figure- but perhaps when only given role of primary caregiver

Question 8

Give another study that supports Field’s findings.

Answer 8

Brown et al (2012)

• Investigated father involvement, paternal sensitivity and father-child attachment security at 13mo & 3yrs of age

Question 9

What were Brown et al’s findings?

Answer 9

• Results showed that involvement & sensitivity influenced father-child attachment security at age 3.
• Involvement was a greater predictor of secure attachment when fathers were rated as less sensitive

Question 10

What is one limitation towards the reasearch into the role of the father?

Answer 10

Lack of clarity over the questions being asked
The question ‘what is the role of the father?’

• As some researchers want to understand role of father as secondary attachment figures
• But others more concerned w fathers as primary attahcment figure
• The former tended to see fathers behaving differently from mothers & having a distinct role

Makes it difficult to offer a simple answer as it depends what specific role is being discussed

Question 11

What’s a strength of research into the role of the father?

Answer 11

• It can be used to offer advice to parents- REAL WORLD APPLICATION (who worry about e.g. feeling pressured to stay at home etc.)
• Research into RoF can offer reassuring advice to parents

e.g. heterosexual parents can be informed that fathers are quite capable of becoming primary attachment figures
Lesbian parents & single-mothers can be informed that not having a father arpund doesn’t affect a childs development

Question 12

What is a further limitation of research into the role of the father?

Answer 12

Findings vary according to the methodology used.

• Longitudal studies such as Grossmann suggest that fathers as a secondary attachment have an important & distinct role in their childrens development
• But if fathers did have distinctive role, we’d expect those without would turn out in some way different
• But studies show this isnt the case & children do not develop differently from children who have both a mum & and dad