Stages of Attachment Flashcards
What is Schaffer and Emerson’s study also referred to?
Glasgow Baby Study
What was Schaffer and Emerson’s sample?
- 60 infants and mothers from Glasgow
- 31 males
- 29 females
- from skilled w/c families
How long did Schaffer and Emerson’s study last?
18 months
How often did the researchers visit the families’ homes?
-every month for 12 months
-once again at 18 months
What behaviours were the researchers looking for?
attachment behaviours:
-separation anxiety
-stranger anxiety
Define separation anxiety
degree of stress shown by the child when separated from the caregiver
Define stranger anxiety
degree of stress shown by an infant when with unfamiliar people
What questionnaire did the mothers of the infants recieve?
the child’s general behaviour in 7 everyday separations
What did Schaffer and Emerson find at 6-8 months old?
50% of infants showed separation anxiety for their mother (first signs of specific attachment)
Who did Schaffer and Emerson find the infant to attach to?
the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to their signals
What did Schaffer and Emerson find at 10 months old?
80% had a specific attachment
30% had multiple attachments
Stage 1
Asocial
-first few weeks after birth
-respond to humans and objects in a similar way
-recognise and prefer familiar adults
Stage 2
Indiscriminate
-between 2-7 months old
-display more social behaviour
- accept comfort from any adult
-don’t display stranger or separation anxiety
Stage 3
Specific
-7+ months old
-shows stranger anxiety and separation anxiety when away from primary care giver
-formed a specific attachment to primary care giver
Stage 4
Multiple
-around 1 month after stage 3
-extend attachment to other people they spend time with
-29% of secondary attachments form within a month of the specific attachment
How can you evaluate the stages of attachment?
(4 ways)
-high ecological validity
-longitudinal study
-limited sample
-cultural bias
AO3 - High ecological validity
-observations conducted in the family’s home
-less likely to show demand characteristics than in a lab setting
-less anxiety that in an unfamiliar place
-behaviour would be more natural
AO3 - Longitudinal study
-lasted 18 months
-the same children were observed regularly
-eliminated individual differences
-can clearly see developmental changes in attachment
AO3 - CA - longitudinal study
(3 ways)
-potential demand characteristics during observations and socially desirable responses in the questionnaire
-issues with the daily diaries as they may not have been filled in when they should have and information could be missed out
-lack of temporal validity because most omen would have been at home all the time instead of working
AO3 - limited sample
-60 infants and their mothers
-can’t generalise to middle upper classes as they may be brought up with the help of nannies and go to nursery at a younger age so more likely to reach multiple attachment stage earlier
AO3 - cultural bias
-Sagi found that infants raised in individualistic cultures were 2x as close to their mothers in comparison to those raised in a collectivist culture
-suggests that attachment is culturally specific and therefore can’t generalise
