the role of the father

Question 1

The Role of The Father
(basic info)

Answer 1

-secondary attachment figure
- majority of kids become attached to their mother first
-attached to father around 18 months

Question 2

What did Grossman (2022). study?

Answer 2

• He did a longitudinal study looking at BOTH parents behavior and RS to the quality of a babies later attachment to other ppl.
  -fathers attachment related more to adolescence
  -quality of play by father related to father attachment rather than emotional aspect.

Question 3

what did Tiffany Field(1978) study ?

Answer 3

-filmed 4 month old babies
-primary father figures spent more time smiling and imitating and holding infants then secondary
-key to attachment is level of response not gender

Question 4

The child: age and gender?

Answer 4

-1012 young adults involved
-children more likely to be attached to father during late childhood to early adolescence
-male kids more likely to attach to father
-INFANTS LESS likely to attach to father

Question 5

What is temperament and how does this relate to fathers ?

Answer 5

• temperament is personality and characteristics present from birth
  -MANLOVE ET AL: father less likely to be involved w a child w difficult temperament
  -children w/o fathers no different to those w father SO fathers are SECONDARY

Question 6

Evaluation-
Confusion over research questions?

Answer 6

• some psychologist want to study secondary father and some primary fathers
• the former found fathers behave differently and latter found fathers take on “maternal role”
  -difficult to offer a simple answer

Question 7

What is the conflicting evidence?

Answer 7

-findings vary
-Grossman says fathers are important as secondary figures (w play)
-MaCCallum and golombok found same sex or single families aren’t different in terms of development(so fathers not as important)
COUNTER:
-families may just adapt to not having a father
-lesbian couples may just take on father role
-when present, fathers take on their distincitive role

Question 8

What is the real world application involved?

Answer 8

-mothers and fathers feel pressured to follow traditional roles
-may not be best economic solution
-GOOD to know that quality of interaction matters more then gender
-reassuring parental advice
-mothers can go to work
-lesbian couples can be sure that not having a father around wont affect their child

Question 9

What is the bias in research?

Answer 9

-STEREOTYPES cause unintentional observer bias whereby observer sees what they want to see
-e.g believing fathers are not primary caregivers
-due to ways we see them advertised and talked about in the media