The Role Of The Father

Question 1

Grossman
Aim

Answer 1

Carried a longitudinal study looking at both parents behavior and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachment into their teens

Question 2

Finding (1)

Answer 2

The quality of the infants attachment with their mothers but not there fathers was related to the children’s attachment in adolescence

Question 3

Conclusion

Answer 3

Suggesting that the fathers attachment is less important than the mothers

Question 4

Finding (2)

Answer 4

However the quality of the fathers play with infants was related to the quality the children’s adolescent attachment

Question 5

Conclusion

Answer 5

This suggests fathers have a different role in attachment one that is more to do with play and stimulation and less to do with nurturing but still import for the child’s wellbeing

Question 6

Fields
Aim

Answer 6

To investigate the role of the father in attachment

Question 7

Fields method

Answer 7

Controlled observation

Question 8

Fields
Procedure

Answer 8

Filmed 4 month old infants in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers primary caregiver fathers and secondary caregiver fathers

Question 9

Fields
Findings

Answer 9

Primary caregiver fathers like mothers spent more time smiling imitating and holding infants than the secondary caregiver fathers. This behavior seems to be more important in building an attachment to an infant

Question 10

Fields
Conclusion

Answer 10

It seems that fathers can be the more nurturing attachment figure and take in the traditionally maternal role. The key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness not the gender of the parents

Question 11

AO3

Answer 11

Fields research into the role of the father in attachment can be praised for practical applications. This is because the findings of fields research that responsiveness to the child’s needs not gender is the most important when forming attachment and can be used to change policies. Where’s parental leave allows mothers and fathers to share leave from work to care for their child the first year of the infants life. This is very useful in families where the father wants to take on the role of PCG and the mother wants to return to work. Therefore the research into the role do the father is an important part of applied psychology as it has been used to help families in the real world

Question 12

AO3

Answer 12

Research to contradict grossmans findings of fathers having a distinct role if play and stimulation comes from Macallum and Golombok they have single mothers and lesbian parent families questionnaires and interviews to assess cognitive and social development in their children . They found that the children growing up in single mother or lesbian parent families do not develop any differently from those in two parent heterosexual families. Therefore contradicting grossmans research into the role of the father in attachment because it shows the role of play and stimulation may not be solely related to revise gender if the attachment figure