Schaffer's Stages of attachment

Question 1

Who were involved in Schaffer and Emmerson study?

Answer 1

• involved 60 babies all from Glasgow and the majority were from working class families

Question 2

What did Schaffer and Emerson do?

Answer 2

• researchers visited the babies and their mothers in their home every month for the first year and then at 18 months
• researchers asked mothers about their babies protest as a result of separation e.g. separation anxiety and this was designed to measure infancy attachment
• they also assessed stranger anxiety

Question 3

What did Schaffer and Emerson find?

Answer 3

• 50% of the babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards a specific adult between 25 weeks and 32 weeks
• attachment tended to be to the person who interacted most and were most sensitive to the infants signals and facial expression

Question 4

Asocial Stage

Answer 4

• from birth to 3 months
• An infant shows similar responses to objects and
  people. Although towards the end of this stage they do
  display a preference for faces / eyes

Question 5

Indiscriminate Stage

Answer 5

• from 2-7 months

-An infant now shows a preference for human company over
non-human company. They can distinguish between
different people, but are comforted indiscriminately (by
anyone) and do not show stranger anxiety yet.

Question 6

Specific attachment

Answer 6

-from 7 months

• An infant shows a preference for one caregiver, displaying
  separation and stranger anxiety. The infant looks to a
  particular person for security and protection. The infant
  shows joy upon reunion and are comforted by their primary
  caregiver.

Question 7

Multiple Attachment

Answer 7

1 year onwards

• Attachment behaviours are now displayed towards several
  different people e.g. siblings, grandparents etc. and are
  sometimes referred to as secondary attachments

Question 8

Problem studying multiple attachments

Answer 8

• although children can develop multiple attachments its not explicit when
• Bowlby says they form a primary attachment to their primary caregiver before they can develop other attachments
• Schaffer and Emerson support this
• other psychologists have argued that babies form multiple attachments from the beginning particularly in collectivists cultures who share the task of child rearing and producing food

Question 9

Good external validity

Answer 9

• study was carried out In the families own home and most of the observation was done by parents during ordinary activities
• this means that the behaviour of the infants was not influenced by the observers presence and the infants were acting naturally
• however, social desirability factors may mean that mothers would lie about their infants behaviour in order to seem like a better mother