Schaffer's Stages of Attachment

Question 1

Key study: Schaffer & Emerson (1964).

Answer 1

They aimed to investigate the formation of early attachments; in particular the age at which they developed, the emotional intensity and to whom they were directed.

Method
The study involved to 60 babies – 31 mile, 29 female. All were from glass go, and the majority were from skilled working-class families. The babies and their mothers were visited at home every month for the first year and again at 18 months. The researchers asked the mothers questions about the kind of protest their babies showed in 7 every day separations, e.g. adult leaving the room (a measure of separation anxiety). This was designed to measure the infant attachment. The researchers also assessed stranger anxiety. 

Findings
Between 25 and 32 weeks of age about 50% of the baby showed signs of separation anxiety towards a particular adult, usually the mother (this is called specific attachment). Attachment tended to be to the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infant signals and facial expressions (i.e. reciprocity). This was not necessarily a person with him and spent most time. By the age of 40 weeks 80% of the babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments.

Question 2

Evaluation of Schaffer & Emerson’s (key) study

Answer 2

\+ Schaffer & Emerson’s study was carried out in the families’ own homes and most of the observation (other than stranger anxiety) was actually done by parents during ordinary activities and reported to researchers later. This means that the behaviour of the babies was unlikely to be affected by the presence of observers. There is an excellent chance that participants behaved naturally while being observed. We can therefore say the study has good external validity.
\+ A strength of the study was that was carried out longitudinally; this means that the same children are followed up and observed regularly. The quicker alternative would have been to observe different children at each age - this is called a cross-sectional design. However, longitudinal designs have better internal validity than cross-sectional designs because they do not have the confounding variable of individual differences between participants (participant variables).
- The sample size of 60 babies and their carers was good considering the large volume of data that was gathered on each participant. However, the fact that all families involved were from the same district and social class in the same city and at a time over 50 years ago is a limitation. Child-rearing practices vary from one culture to another and one historical period to another. These results do not necessarily generalise well to other social and historical context.
- Although there is no doubt the children become capable of multiple Touchman’s at some point, it is still not entirely clear when. Some research seems to indicate that most if not all babies form attachments to a single main carer before they become capable of developing go to attachments (Bowlby, 1969). Other psychologists, in particular those who work in those cultural contexts where multiple caregivers are the norm, believe babies form multiple attachments from the outset (van Ijzendoorn, 1993). Such cultures are called collectivists because families work together jointly in everything – such as producing food and child-rearing.
- There may be a problem with how multiple attachment is assessed. Just because a baby gets distressed when an individual leaves the room does not necessarily mean that the individual is a true attachment figure. Bowlby (1969) pointed out that children have playmate as well as attachment figures and may get distressed when a playmate leaves the room but this does not signify attachment. This is a problem for Schaffer & Emerson’s stages because the observation does not leave us a way to distinguish between behaviour shown towards secondary attachment figures and shown towards playmates.

Question 4

Evaluation of their attachment stages

Answer 4

• Schaffer & Emerson describe the first few weeks of life as that asocial stage, although in Porten into actions take place in those weeks. The problem here is that baby is that are young have poor co-ordination and are generally pretty much immobile. It is therefore very difficult to make any judgements about them based on observations of their behaviour. There just isn’t much observable behaviour! This does not mean the child’s feelings and cognitions are not highly social but the evidence cannot be relied on.

Question 5

Stages of attachment (based on the info gathered by Schaffer & Emerson)

Answer 5

Stage 1: Asocial stage (first few weeks)
This is not really an asocial stage (even though Schaffer & Emerson used that term) as the baby is recognising and forming bonds with his carers. However, the baby’s behaviour towards non-human objects and humans it’s quite similar. Babies show some preference for familiar adults in that those individuals find it easier to calm them. Babies are also happier when in the presence of other humans.

Stage 2: Indiscriminate attachment
From 2-7 months babies despite more observable social behaviour. They show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects, and recognise/prefer familiar adults. At this stage babies usually accept cuddles and comfort from any adult, and they do not usually show separation anxiety/stranger anxiety. Their attachment behaviour is therefore said to be indiscriminate because it is not different towards any one person.

Stage 3: Specific attachment
From around seven months the majority of babies start to display anxiety towards strangers and become anxious when separated from one particular adult (the biological mother in 65% of cases). At this point the baby is said to have formed a specific attachment. This adult is time for the primary attachment figure. This person is not necessarily a person the child spends most time with but the one who offers the most interaction and response of the baby ‘signals’ with the most skilled.

Stage 4: Multiple attachments
Shortly after babies start to show attachment behaviour towards one adult they usually extend this attachment behaviour to multiple attachments with other adults with whom they regularly spend time. These relationships are called secondary attachments. In Schaffer & Emerson’s study, 29% of the children had secondary attachments within a month of forming a primary (specific) attachment. By the age of about 1 year the majority of infants had developed multiple attachments.