A: Development of Attachment

Question 1

Multiple attachment

Answer 1

Having more than one attachment figure

Question 2

Primary attachment figure

Answer 2

Person who has formed the closest bond with a child, demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship.

Question 3

Separation anxiety

Answer 3

The distress shown by an infant when separated from his/her caregiver.

This is not necessarily the child’s biological mother.

Question 4

Stranger anxiety

Answer 4

The distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar.

Question 5

Having more than one attachment figure

Answer 5

Multiple attachment

Question 6

Person who has formed the closest bond with a child, demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship.

Answer 6

Primary attachment figure

Question 7

The distress shown by an infant when separated from his/her caregiver.

This is not necessarily the child’s biological mother.

Answer 7

Separation anxiety

Question 8

The distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar.

Answer 8

Stranger anxiety

Question 9

Who were the main researchers in the ‘stages of attachment’ study?

Answer 9

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 10

What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?

Answer 10

To investigate attachment formation; particularly the age, emotional intensity and target.

Question 11

Describe Schaffer and Emerson’s methods in studying the stages of attachment:

How did they study each type of anxiety?

Answer 11

• 60 babies (31 M, 29 F) from Glasgow, mostly from skilled-working-class families.
• Visited every 4 weeks.

Separation anxiety:

• Mother reported infant’s response to separation in 7 everyday situations (eg. left alone in a room or left with others.)
• Asked to also describe the intensity of any protest (eg. full cry or whimper).
• Rated on a 4 point scale.

Stranger anxiety:

• Response to unfamiliar adults, eg the interviewer at each visit.

Question 12

How did Schaffer and Emerson measure separation anxiety?

Answer 12

• Mother reported infant’s response to separation in 7 everyday situations (eg. left alone in a room or left with others.)
• Asked to also describe the intensity of any protest (eg. full cry or whimper).
• Rated on a 4 point scale.

This was a self-report technique and a semi-structured interview.

Question 13

How did Schaffer and Emerson measure stranger anxiety?

Answer 13

Studied babies response to unfamiliar adults, eg the interviewer at each visit.

This was controlled observation.

Question 14

What were the key findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?

Answer 14

• Between 25-32 weeks of age, 50% of babies showed separation anxiety towards primary caregiver - known as specific attachment.
• Attachment tended to be to most responsive caregiver - the one showing more reciprocity.
• By 40 weeks, 80% of babies had specific attachments and 30% had multiple attachments.

Question 15

Specific attachment.

Answer 15

When a baby shows separation anxiety towards one specific adult.

Question 16

When a baby shows separation anxiety towards one specific adult.

Answer 16

Specific attachment.

Question 17

List the stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson:

Answer 17

1. Indiscriminate attachments - no preference for any objects/people, but some preference for social stimuli.
2. Beginnings of attachment - can distinguish familiar people from strangers, but no stranger anxiety.
3. Discriminate attachment - preference for one person, separation anxiety begins.
4. Multiple attachments - discriminate attachments formed with others/secondary attachment figures.

Question 18

According to Schaffer and Emerson, what is the first stage of attachment?

Answer 18

Indiscriminate attachment:

• Birth - 2 months old
• Infants produce similar responses to all objects, whether animate or inanimate.
• At end of this period, greater preference for social stimuli, eg a smiling face.
• Reciprocity and interactional synchrony play a role in establishing infant’s relationships with others.

Question 19

5 points to make in addition to name of stage.

According to Schaffer and Emerson, what is the second stage of attachment?

Answer 19

The beginning of attachment:

• Around 4 months infants become more social.
• Prefer human company to inanimate objects.
• Can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people.
• But can still be comforted by anyone - they don’t show stranger anxiety.
• Generally socialable.

Question 20

3 points to make in addition to naming the stage.

According to Schaffer and Emerson, what is the third stage of attachment?

Answer 20

Discriminate attachment:

• By 7 months, infants begin to show separation anxiety.
• Normally have formed specific attachment to primary attachment figure/caregiver.
• Begin to display stranger anxiety.

Question 21

4 points to make in addition to naming the stage.

According to Schaffer and Emerson, what is the fourth stage of attachment?

Answer 21

Multiple attachments:

• Infant develops wider circle of multiple attachments depending on how many consistent relationships they have.
• Separation anxiety displayed in these relationships.
• Within a month of primary attachment, 29% had multiple attachments and within 6 months 78% had multiple attachments.
• Within about 1 year, majority of infants had multiple attachments.

Question 22

What did Schaffer and Emerson conclude about primary attachments?

How did they come to these conclusions?

Answer 22

Not always formed with the person the infant spent most time with.

• Observed intensely attached infants had mothers who responded quickly and sensitively to infant and offered most interaction.
• Whereas poorly attached infants had mothers who failed to interact.

Thus they concluded that it is the quality of the relationship, not quantity, that matters most in the formation of attachment.

Question 23

Discuss primary attachments in relation to mothers and fathers:

Answer 23

Schaffer and Emerson observed:

• In 65% of children, first specific attachment was to mother.
• Further 30% the mother was the first joint object of attachment.
• Fathers were rarely first sole object of attachment - 3%
• 27% of fathers were joint first object.

Question 24

What did Schaffer and Emerson find out about fathers?

• Why did they suggest his happened?*
• Is there evidence to support their reasoning?*

Answer 24

They were far less likely to be primary attachment figures than mothers- maybe because they spend less time with their infants.

However, Lamb (1997) reported that studies have shown there is little relationship between father accessibility (amount of time spent with infant) and infant-father attachment.

Question 25

What are some of the explanations as to why fathers are less likely to be primary attachment figures?

Answer 25

* Possible men are not psychologically equipped to form intense attachment because they lack the emotional sensitivity that women offer: * Biologically - female hormone oestrogen underlies caring behaviour. * Socially - continue to be cultural expectations that affect male behaviour, such as it is thought to be feminine to be sensitive to the needs of others.

Question 26

Discuss the evidence around why men are less likely to be primary attachment figures:

Answer 26

* Heermann et al, 1994, found men are indeed less sensitive to infant cues than mothers. * However, Frodi et al, 1978, showed videotapes of infants crying and found no differences in the physiological responses of men and women.

Question 27

Can men form attachments with their infants? ## Footnote *Does this differ between single (male) parent families and two-parent families?*

Answer 27

Yes, men do form secure attachments with their children, particularly in single (male) parent families. *Research has found that in two-parent families, where the father is the primary caregiver, both parents often share the role of primary attachment figure (Frank et al, 1997).*

Question 28

What did Geiger, 1996, say about fathers? *What does this suggest about a father's role in attachment?*

Answer 28

"A father is an exciting playmate whereas mothers are more conventional and tend to read stories to their children." ## Footnote *They are important secondary attachment figures. Research has highlighted they are more playful, physically active and generally better at providing challenging situations.*

Question 29

Why might the "lack of sensitivity" from fathers be seen as a positive?

Answer 29

It fosters problem-solving by making greater communicative and cognitive demands on children. ## Footnote *White and Woollett, 1992.*

Question 30

What are the discussion points for stages of attachment?

Answer 30

* Unreliable data * Biased sample * Challenging monotropy * Cultural variations * Stage theories

Question 31

Write a PEEL paragraph about the **'unreliable data'** in the stages of attachment research:

Answer 31

**P -** Data collected by Schaffer and Emerson may be unreliable. **E -** Based on mothers' reports of their infants. **E -** Some mothers might have been less sensitive to their infant's protests and therefore less likely to report them. **L -** Creates a systematic bias which would challenge the validity of the data.

Question 32

Write a PEEL paragraph about the **'biased sample'** in the stages of attachment research:

Answer 32

**P -** Sample was biased in a number of ways. **E -** Participants were from a working-class population and thus the findings may apply to that social group and not others. **E -** Sample was from the 60s and parental care of children has significantly changed; more women go to work so many children are cared for by fathers or someone outside the home. Research shows number of stay at home fathers has quadrupled over the past 25 years, Cohn et al, 2014. **L -** Study may lack historical validity.

Question 33

Write a PEEL paragraph about the **'challenging monotropy'** in the stages of attachment research:

Answer 33

**P -** Central discussions of multiple attachment is whether all attachments are equivalent of whether one or two have special significance. **E -** Bowlby's view was that an infant forms one special attachment, and secondary attachments offer an emotional safety net or to meet other needs; eg role of the father and siblings may be important in learning how to negotiate. **E -** Contrastingly, Rutter (1955) has argued all attachment figures are equivalent, with all attachments being integrated to produce an infant's attachment type. **L -** Suggests Bowlby might have been wrong about idea of hierarchy of attachments.

Question 34

Write a PEEL paragraph about the **'cultural variations'** in the stages of attachment:

Answer 34

**P -** Are important differences between cultures in terms of the way people relate to each other. **E -** In individualist cultures people are more concerned with their own needs whereas in collectivist cultures peopleare more focussed on the need of the group. Therefore, we would expect attachment to be more common in collectivist societies. **E -** Research supports this; Sagi et al (1994) compared attachments in infants raised in communal environments with infants raised in family-based sleeping arrangements. Closeness of attachment with mothers was almost twice as common in family-based arrangement in the communal environment. **L -** Suggests that the stage model of attachment applies specifically to individualist cultures.

Question 35

Write a PEEL paragraph about the **'stage theories'** in the stages of attachment model:

Answer 35

**P -** A difficulty is that stage theories suggest development is inflexible. **E -** Proposes that there is a fixed order for development. **E -** For example, it suggests that, normally, single attachments must come before multiple attachments - this isn't always the case. **L -** Therefore the use of stage theories may be problematic if they become a standard by which families are judges and lead to them being classed as abnormal. It shouldn't be seen as a set rule of development, as it may not always generalise to the whole population.