Attachment - Stages of attachment

Question 1

what are the stages of attachment

Answer 1

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
- asocial stage
- indiscriminate attachment
- specific attachment
- multiple attachments

Question 2

what is the asocial stage

Answer 2

• 0-6 weeks
• babies behaviour is asocial - same towards people and objects
• not entirely asocial as babies do prefer people

Question 3

what is the indiscriminate stage

Answer 3

• 6 weeks - 7 months
• babies show a clear preference for being with humans over objects
• recognise and prefer company of familiar people
• accept cuddles and comfort from anyone
• don’t show separation or stranger anxiety

Question 4

what is discriminate attachment

Answer 4

• 7 months - 9 months
• attachment to one person
• stranger anxiety
• separation anxiety
• primary attachment figure

Question 5

what are multiple attachments

Answer 5

• 10 months onwards
• children begin to form secondary attachments

Question 6

what is separation anxiety

Answer 6

• baby shows anxiety when caregiver leaves
• indicates an attachment is formed

Question 7

what is stranger anxiety

Answer 7

• baby shows distress when approached by someone they don’t know
• indicated baby can recognise familiar and unfamiliar people

Question 8

what is Shaffer and Emerson’s research

Answer 8

• 60 babies from Glasgow
• visited them every month in their homes for 1 year and at 18 months
• asked mothers if babies displayed stranger and separation anxiety
• 65% of babies the first attachment was the mother
• father secondary attachment

Question 9

what are the strengths of the stages of attachment

Answer 9

Good external validity
- observations made by parents during ordinary activities
- behaved naturally

Real-world application
- application in day care
- asocial and indiscriminate stage babies can be comforted by anyone
- day care problematic in specific stage
- use of day care can be planned

Question 10

what are the limitations of the stages of attachment

Answer 10

Poor evidence for asocial stage
- young babies have poor co-ordination and immobile
- hard to observe behaviour in a subtle way
- babies may be social but appear asocial

• mothers can be objective observers
• biased in their reports
• data may not be accurate