role of a father

Question 1

Do babies attach to fathers first

Answer 1

• in shaffer and emerson’s research (1964) only 3% of babies attach to their fathers first and 27% joint with mothers
• 75% of babies form an attachment with their father by 18 months, determined by separation anxiety

Question 2

what was Grossmans et al (2002) longitudinal study

Answer 2

• studies babies attachment until they were teens
• looked at parents behavior and its relationship to the quality of their babies later attachment to other people
• quality of attachment to mothers was related to attachments in adolescence
• suggest that fathers attachment is less important
• also found that the quality of fathers play with babies was related to the quality of adolescent attachment
• suggests that fathers have a different role to do with play and simulation

Question 3

fathers as primary attachment figures

Answer 3

• study by FIeld (1978) filmed 4 months old babies in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers
• primary caregiver fathers like primary caregiver mothers sent more time smiling, initiation and holding babies than the secondary caregiver fathers
• smiling imitation and holding are all reciprocity and interactional synchrony
• fathers have the potential to be the more emotion focused primary attachment figure but is only expressed when given the role of primary caregiver

Question 4

strength of research into role of father

Answer 4

1. real world application
   - can be used to offer advice to parents
   - mothers may feel pressured to stay at home because of sterotypes and views of the role of the father
   - fathers may feel pressured to work rather than parent
   - mother only family can be informed that not having a father there does not affect the child development

Question 5

limitation of research into role of fathers

Answer 5

1. confusion over research questions
   - lacks clarity over questions being asked
   - research split over fathers as primary or secondary attachment figure
   - some see fathers as having a distinct role while others report them taking on a more maternal role
2. conflicting evidence
   - findings vary according to methodology used
   - Grossmans et al (2002)study suggest that fathers as a secondary primary attachment figure have an important role in play and stimulation
   - however if their role was important we would expect children who grow up in women only households to turn out different to those in hetrosexual familers
   - study by McCallum and Golombok (2004) shows that the children do not develop differently