The role of the father

Question 1

What research did Grossman et al (2002) conduct?

Answer 1

A longitudinal study on babies attachment until they were teens. They looked at parents’ behaviour in relation to the quality of their baby’s attachment to other people.

Question 2

What did Grossman et al find out?

Answer 2

Found that the quality of a baby’s attachment to their mother (rather than their father) was related to quality of attachments later in life
This suggests that attachment to the father is less important than attachment to mothers.
However, the quality of fathers’ play with babies was related to quality of adolescent attachments
Research suggests that a father role is more play and stimulation and less to do with emotional development

Question 3

Evidence shows that when others take on the role of the main caregiver, they do what?

Answer 3

Adopt behaviours more typical of mothers

Question 4

Describe Field’s (1978) research

Answer 4

He filmed 4 month old babies in face-to-face interaction with:
1. Primary caregiver = mother
2. Secondary caregiver = father
3. Primary caregiver = father

Question 5

What did Field find?

Answer 5

Primary caregiver fathers (like mothers) spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver fathers.
These behaviours are all part of reciprocity and interactional synchrony and are important in building attachment

Question 6

Give 1 strength of the role of the father

Answer 6

Real world application - parental anxiety about the role of the father can be reduced. Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home because of stereotypical views. Fathers feel that they are pressured to work. Research into the ‘role of the father’ can offer reassurance.
Hetero sexual couples are also informed that fathers are capable of becoming primary attachment figures. Singe parent/ sex couples are also informed that child development is not affected by not having a father around.

Question 7

Give 2 limitations of the role of the father

Answer 7

1. Confusion over research question - researchers trying to answer “what is the role of the father?” have looked at fathers as the secondary attachment while others have looked at the fathers being the attachment figure.
   Secondary attachment = fathers have a completely different role
   Primary attachment = fathers take on a more ‘maternal’ role
   Depends upon the role being discussed
2. Findings vary depending upon the methodology used - longitudinal studies (Grossman) suggested that fathers as a secondary attachment have a distinct role - play and stimulation. However, studies of a single mother and single sex parent families consistently showed that these children didnt develop differently from children in two-parent heterosexual families