Lesson 2 - Stages of Attachment

Question 1

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) how many babies

Answer 1

• 60 babies

• 31 males
• 29 female

Question 2

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) how old were the babies

Answer 2

• 5 to 23 weeks old

-from Glasgow

Question 3

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) what type of study was it

Answer 3

• Longitudinal study

• overt observations and interviews
• mother was asked to keep diary of child’s behaviour

Question 4

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) how often were they visited

Answer 4

• Babies and mothers were visited in their homes every 4 weeks for first year

-Visited again after 18 months

Question 5

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) what were the seven situations the mother’s left their babies in

Answer 5

• Left alone in room
• Left with other people
• Left in pram outside house
• Left in pram outside shops
• Left in cot over night
• Put down after being held by adult
• Passed by while sitting on cot or chair

Question 6

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) two attachment behaviours measured

Answer 6

• Separation protest (anxiety)
-infant distressed when separated from caregiver

• Stranger anxiety
-infant distressed when approached by unfamiliar person

Question 7

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) findings of study

Answer 7

• 65% of babies, first primary attachment was to mother
• 30% jointly attached to mother + other figure
• 3% attached to father
• 27% jointly attached to father + mother

Question 8

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) findings (additional)

Answer 8

• After first attachment happened, most babies formed multiple
• at 18 months 75% of babies formed attachment with father
• Intensely attached infants had mothers who responded quickly (quality not quantity)

• Attachments are not necessarily formed with physical carer
-40% of cases, person who cared most was NOT first attachment figure

Question 9

Stage one of attachment

Pre-attachment
birth-3 months

Answer 9

from 0-6 weeks behaviours to humans and inanimate objects are same

from 6 weeks infants attracted to other humans

presence demonstrated by smiling

Question 10

Stage two of attachment

Indiscriminate attachment
3-6/7 months

Answer 10

Babies recognise and prefer familiar faces

Accept comfort from any adult and don’t show preference

Question 11

Stage three of attachment

Discriminate attachment
7/8 months

Answer 11

Babies show protest when particular person puts them down

Formed a specific attachment to one person

Question 12

Stage four of attachment

Multiple attachments
9 months onwards

Answer 12

Infants form wider circle of attachments

Question 13

Development of attachments
-Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Strengths
Longitudinal design

Answer 13

Same babies and mothers observed regularly over longer period of time (18 months)

More internal validity than cross-sectional design
(-observing diff children)

Less confounding variables because same PPs

Question 14

Development of attachments
-Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Strengths
Good external validity

Answer 14

Carried out in PPs homes

Most observations done by parents
-doing ordinary activities

PPs show no demand characteristics
Study has mundane realism
Study is ecologically valid

Question 15

Development of attachments
-Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Weaknesses
Methodological issues

Answer 15

Observations and self report measures are prone to bias

Mothers could have shown social desirability bias
-answer to have good relationship w/ infants

Mothers shown bias by interpreting infant’s behaviour during observation

Question 16

Development of attachments
-Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Weaknesses
Biased sample

Answer 16

WC population
Findings may not apply to MidC

Sample from 60s

Women have jobs now
fathers stay at home more