Stages of attachment - A01

Question 1

What is stages of attachment?

Answer 1

A developmental theory that identifies qualitively different infant behaviours that are linked to specific ages with all going through them in the same order

Question 2

What is the definition of multiple attachments?

Answer 2

Attachments to two or more people; more babies develop multiple attachments after they have formed one strong attachment to a caregiver

Question 3

What are the aims of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?

Answer 3

To identify qualitively different infant behaviours that are linked to specific ages

Question 4

What were the PPs part of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?

Answer 4

60 infants and caregivers (all mothers) from Glasglow - they were all working class

Question 5

What is the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?

Answer 5

Studied at monthly intervals for first 18 months of life (longitudinal study)
Mixture of self report and observations
Researchers also noted how babies responded to their presence in family’s home (stranger anxiety)

Question 6

What are the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?

Answer 6

Half of the babies showed separation anxiety towards a certain caregiver during the 25 to 52 week periods.
Stranger anxiety started a month after specific attachment formed, which was to see who had the most interactions with them.
Multiple attachments started around 40 weeks old

Question 7

What are the conclusions of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?

Answer 7

Indentified four stages of attachment: asocial, indiscriminate, specific and multiple

Question 8

What is a self report technique?

Answer 8

Any method in which a person is asked to state or explain their own feelings, opinions, behaviours and/or experiences related to a given topic
Includes:

• Questionnaires (open & closed questions)
• Interviews (structural and unstructured)

Question 9

What happens in the asocial stage?

Answer 9

AGE: 0-2 months
ATTACHMENT FIGURE: Similar response to object and people
BEHAVIOUR: Accepts any form of comfort

Question 10

What happens in indiscriminate stage?

Answer 10

AGE: 2-7 months
ATTACHEMENT FIGURE: Preference for people and can distinguish them
BEHAVIOUR: Accepts any form of comfort

Question 11

What happens in specific attachment?

Answer 11

AGE: 7-11 months
ATTACHMENT FIGURE: One primary attachment figure
BEHAVIOUR: Only accepts comfort from them and displays seperation and stranger anxiety

Question 12

What happens in the multiple attachment stage?

Answer 12

AGE: 9+ months
ATTACHMENT FIGURE: Attachments to as many as five people by 12 months
BEHAVIOUR: Preference for comfort from any attachment figure