the role of the father evaluation Flashcards
(p) one limitation is confusion over research questions when investigating the role of the father in attachment
(e)
● this is because some psychologists want to understand the role of the father simply as secondary attachment figures behind the mother
● other researchers however look as the father as a primary attachment figure, equal to the importance of the mother
● the former has tended to see fathers as behaving differently from mothers and having a distinct role
● the latter have found that fathers can take on a ‘maternal’ role
(c)
● this matters because psychologists cannot easily answer the simple question: ‘what is the role of the father?’
(p) one limitation is conflicting evidence from different methodologies
(e)
● grossman et al suggest fathers have a distinct role in children’s development, involving play and stimulation
● however, mccallum and golombok found that children without a father do not develop differently
(c)
● this means the question of whether fathers have a distinctive role in attachment remains unanswered
(counter)
● however, the findings may not be in conflict
● fathers may take on particular roles in two-parent heterosexual families, whereas other families structure adapt to not having fathers
● so, the findings may actually be clear, there could be a distinctive role for fathers when present
● but families adapt to not having one
(p) one strength is that findings into the role of the father can be used to offer reassuring advice to parents
(e)
● research showing fathers can be valid maternal figures may be a comfort to some families who would have otherwise have faced hard choices of who was going to ‘give up’ work
● this encourages more fathers to take the primary caregiver role whilst the mother returns to her job, boosting the economy as a whole
(c)
● this means that parental anxiety about the role of fathers can be reduced and parenting decisions are made easier
(p) there could be issues of observer bias within research into this area
(e)
● the researchers preconception about how fathers (should) behave may influence their observations when studying fathers
● the researcher sees what they expect to see due to their expected stereotypes of fathers (e.g. they are more playful)
(c)
● this affects the internal validity of research
● meaning that studies may not actually be measuring the true role of the father within families
