Development of attachment Flashcards
Describe Schaffer and Emerson’s procedure.
They conducted a longitudinal study on 60 infants from working class families in Glasgow.
The infants starting age was between 5-23 weeks old and they were studied monthly for 18 months.
Each month the mothers had to report the infants response to separation and the severity of their protest on a scale of 1-4.
Stranger anxiety was assessed at each interview.
What were the results of Schaffer and Emerson’s research?
3 months- indiscriminate attachment.
(new borns have to form a attachment for survival.)
4 months- preference of certain people.
(they will accept care from anyone but they can distinguish between primary and secondary caregivers.)
7 months- special preference for a single attachment figure.
(the baby looks for specific people for security. Shows stranger anxiety.)
9 months- multiple attachments.
(the baby becomes more independent and forms more attachments.)
What did they conclude about Schaffer and Emerson’s research?
39% of infants attached to someone other than the person who fed and bathed them.
3% had a primary attachment with their father.
65% of babies at 18 had the mother as their primary attachment figure.
31% of babies at 18 months had multiple attachments.
What are the stages in development of attachment?
0-6 weeks - asocial stage
6 weeks-6 months - indiscriminate attachment
7-9 months - specific attachment
10/11 months onwards - multiple attachments
List some evaluation points for Schaffer and Emerson’s research.
ISSUES WITH VALIDITY -mothers reports could’ve social desirability
HOWEVER, was carried out in the families own homes.
LIMITED SMAPLE CHARACTERISTICS -all families were from the same district and social class.
LACKS TEMPORAL VALIDITY -was 50yrs ago, child rearing techniques change over time.
CULTURAL VARIATIONS -different cultures have different beliefs about child rearing.
SUPPORTING RESEARCH, Sagi et al compared this with more communal environments such as Israeli Kibbutzim.
