2. Stages Of Attachment

Question 1

Who participated in Schaffer and Emerson’s Stages of Attachment study?

Answer 1

60 babies (31 male, 29 female) from skilled working class families in Glasgow

Question 2

When and where were mothers and visited in the SOA study?

Answer 2

At home every month for first year and again at 18 months

Question 3

What did Schaffer and Emerson assess and how?

Answer 3

Researchers asked mothers questions about separation anxiety & assessed stranger anxiety

Question 4

What type of study was the SOA? Why is this good?

Answer 4

Longitudinal natural experiment without manipulation of environment
-Good because no risk of demand characteristics so high ecological validity

Question 5

Why is the SOA study difficult to generalise?

Answer 5

Sample isn’t broad (60 working class Glasgow families) so unrepresentative of other populations and lacks population validity

Question 6

What is the advantage of the study being longitudinal study?

Answer 6

No risk of participant variables so consistent results- increases internal validity

Question 7

Why may self-report techniques be an issue in this study?

Answer 7

Assessments subjective and inconsistent, and may be subject to social desirability bias

Question 8

What were the findings of the Schaffer and Emerson study?

Answer 8

• At 25-32 weeks, 50% showed separation anxiety in specific attachment
• Attachment due to sensitive responsiveness not time spent
• At 40 weeks, 80% had specific attachment and around 30% had multiple attachments

Question 9

Name the 4 stages of attachment identified by Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 9

Asocial, Indiscriminate, Specific attachment, Multiple Attachment

Question 10

When is the Asocial stage?

Answer 10

0-2 months

Question 11

Describe characteristics of the asocial stage

Answer 11

• Difficult to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects
• Reciprocity and Interactional synchrony involved in starting to form attachment
• Emotional bonds to carers can still form

Question 12

When is the indiscriminate stage?

Answer 12

2-7 months

Question 13

What are the characteristics of the indiscriminate stage?

Answer 13

• Distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people but no stranger anxiety
• Preference for people over inanimate objects
• Easily comforted by anyone

Question 14

When is the specific attachment stage?

Answer 14

7+ months

Question 15

What are the characteristics of specific attachment stage?

Answer 15

• Specific attachment to one person (primary attachment figure)
• Separation anxiety when they leave, and stranger anxiety to unfamiliar people
• Primary caregiver is whoever she’s most sensitive responsiveness- responding most to child’s needs

Question 16

When is the multiple attachment stage?

Answer 16

12+ months

Question 17

What are the characteristics of the multiple attachment stage?

Answer 17

• Secondary attachment to familiar people (80% with father)

- Separation anxiety to secondary attachments

Question 18

Why is the asocial stage to identify?

Answer 18

Limited mobility and co-ordination means it’s difficult to determine whether behaviour is intentional
Therefore reliability of evidence for this take is questionable

Question 19

What is collectivist culture and how does it provide limitations for the SOA study?

Answer 19

Common in some cultures to have many caregivers so may bypass specific attachment stage and multiple attachments may be formed earlier
Suggests lack of population validity, cultural and imposed etic

Question 20

How may the difference between playmates and secondary caregivers be a problem for this study?

Answer 20

• Infants may have playmates which they may show separation anxiety towards simply because they were enjoying the activity (not attached to the person)
• May have been mistaken for secondary attachment in study