Shaffer's Stages of attachment Flashcards
Schaffer and Emerson 1964 - aim
Key study
To investigate the formation of early attachments in particular the age at which they developed, emotional intensity and to whom they were directed
Schaffer and Emerson 1964 - method
60 babies from Glasgow and their mothers were visited at home every month for the first year and again at 18months.
The researcher asked the mothers questions about the kind of protest their babies showed in 7 everyday separations. This was designed to measure the infant’s attachment. The researcher also assessed stranger anxiety
Additional details of the key study method
Schaffer and Emerson 1964
of the 60 babies 31 were male and 29 were female. The majority of the infants were from skilled working-class families
Define Stranger anxiety
the infant’s anxiety response to unfamiliar adults
Schaffer and Emerson 1964 - results
- 25 - 32 weeks old about 50% of the babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards a particular adult (usually the mother).
- Attachment tended to be towards one caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infant signals and facial expressions (i.e. reciprocity). This was not necessarily the person with whom the infant spends the most time.
- By 40 weeks old 80% of the babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments.
Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson 1964
Strength - where
- A strength is that the study had Good external validity
The study was carried out in participants own homes. Most of the observation was done by parents during ordinary activities and reported to the researcher later. This is a strength because the behaviour of the baby therefore was unlikely to have been affected by the presence of observers. This means thta the data is more reliable due to a lack of demand characteristics.
Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson 1964
weakness - in response to external validity strength
A weakness is the accuracy of data collection which was done by parents who were keeping daily diaries. This is a weakness beause a diary like this is unreliable due to demand characteristics and social desirability being major issues. Mothers are not likely to report negative experiences in their daily write up. This means that the data recorded may not be entirely accurate.
Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson 1964
strength + weakness baby type
there are limited sample characteristics, the sample size of 60 babies and their carers was good considering the large volume of data that was gathered on each participant
an addition strength is that the research took place over 50 years an advantage of longitudinal studies is that they have high internal validity.
However, a weakness is the fact that all the families involved were from the same district and social class in the same city, so the results cant be generalised.
Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson 1964
weakness culture, time
Child-rearing practices vary from one culture to another and one historical period to another, These results do not necessarily generalise well to other social and historical contexts for example no fathers were involved in the reseach.
Identify the Schaffer’s stages of attachment
1 - Asocial stage
2 - indescriminate attachment
3 - specific attachment
4 - multiple attachments
Describe the asocial stage of attachment
Duration - first few weeks
The infant’s behaviour towards non-humans objects and humans is similar, babies show some preference for familiar adults in that those individuals find it easier to calm them. The infant is also happier when in the presence of other humans
Describe the indescriminate stage of attachment
Duration - 6 weeks to 7 months
Infants indiscriminately enjoy human company, not showing seperation or stranger anxiety responding equally to any caregiver. They get upset when an individual ceases to interact with them. They prefer people rather than inanimate objects and recognise and prefer familiar adults.
Describe the specific attachment stage of attachment
Duration 7-9 months
The majority of infants begin to display stranger anxiety and seperation anxiety from one particular adult (the biological mother 65% of the time). This adult is termed the primary attachment figure. This person is not necessarily the person the child spends the most time with but the one who offers the most interaction and responds to it’s ‘signals’ with the most skill.
Describe the multiple attachments stage of attachment
Duration - 10 months +
Shortly after infants begin to show attachment behaviour towards one adult they usually extend this attachment behaviour to multiple attachments with other adults with whom they regularly spend time. These relationships are called secondary attachments.
Evaluate the stages of attachment
weakness - start
Schaffer and Emerson describe the first few weeks of life as the ‘asocial’ stage, although important interactions take place in those weeks. The problem is that babies that are young and have poor coordination and are effectively immobile, therefore it is difficult to make judgments based on obsevations of their behaviour - as there just isnt much observable behaviour.
This does not mean that the infant’s feelings and cognition are not highly social BUT the evidence isnt reliable.
