Stages Of Attachment And Role Of Father

Question 1

Who studied attachment in infants and caregiver and what did they conclude

Answer 1

Schafer and Emerson
Concluded there are 4 stages of attachment

Question 2

Procedure of Schafer and Emerson

Answer 2

Carried out observational study of 60 infants and there working class mothers in Glasgow Scotland
Mothers weir visited every 4 week for 1st year of babies life
Mother asked questions regarding infants reaction to separation
Mother asked to record responses Ona 4 point scale - whimpering, crying, holding arms out to mother

Question 3

Results of Schafer and Emerson

Answer 3

Identified 4 stages of attachment
- asocial stage
- indiscriminate attachment
- Specific attachment
- multiple attachment

Question 4

Stage 1 asocial stage
- age
- Observations

Answer 4

Age: from birth to two months
Observation:
- behaviour towards humans and inaminiate objects are similar
- can show preference for the presence of familiar people and social stimuli
- bonds start to form through reciprocity and interactional synchrony

Question 5

Stage 2: indiscriminate attachment
- age
- observation

Answer 5

Age: two to seven months
Observations:
- more social
- clear preference for being with humans
- recognised caregivers and familiar people
- accept closeness for anyone - don’t show separation anxiety or stranger anxiety

Question 6

Stage 3: specific attachment
- age
- observation

Answer 6

Age: from seven months
Observations:
- Formation of attachment of specific caregiver (primary attachment figure)
- signs of separation and stranger anxiety

Question 7

Stage 4: multiple attachment
- age
- observations

Answer 7

Age: from one year
Observations
- form secondary attachment
- separation anxiety can occur when separated form secondary attachment

Question 8

Strength on Schaffer and Emerson’s study - method

Answer 8

Observation didn’t take place in controlled lab conditions
- babies weren’t distracted by unfamiliar things
- no demand characteristics
- high external validity

Question 9

Strength on Schaffer and Emerson’s study - findings

Answer 9

Good real world application
- can be applied to daycare settings
- can help understand development of child

Question 10

Limitations on Schaffer and Emerson’s study - observation

Answer 10

Relied on mothers making observation
- mothers unlikely to objective observers
- mothers may underreport what they perceive
- mothers may be more or less sensitive to child’s distress so less accurate
Data may be unreliable

Question 11

Limitations on Schaffer and Emerson’s study - sample

Answer 11

Biased sample
- families from working class population in Glasgow
- findings not apply to other socioeconomic and cultural groups
Findings cant be generalised

Question 12

Limitation on Schaffer and Emerson’s study - time of study

Answer 12

Data collected 1960s
Parental care has changed since then
- less mothers stay at home
- remarry caregiver may be divided between parents or grandparent
Finding lack temporal validity

Question 13

Why is is said men are less nurturing then women

Answer 13

Biological evidence suggest that men are less receptive nd sensitive to the needs of an infant
Due to hormonal differences
- women have more oestrogen then males this modifies neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for cognitive and emotional processes so women more naturally sensitive

Question 14

Some evidence suggest when father take on a role of primary attachment they adopt a more nurturing behaviour who studied this

Answer 14

Field filmed four moth old babies interacting its
- primary caregivers who were mothers , ho were fathers and secindary caregivers who are fathers

He found primary caregiver panthers spent more time smiling , interacting with, and holding their babies compared to secondary caregiver father

Question 15

Distinctive role of the father study

Answer 15

Grossmans
A longitudinal study where they studied both parents and there relationship what thee could nad how this predicted future attachment in adolescence
Found the quality of the fathers play and stimulation with babies as related to the child quality of attachment in adolescence

Question 16

Strengths of reasearch of role of the father

Answer 16

Good real world application
- used to help parents or prospective parent make decisions hos the primary caregiver
- families can make informed decisions about which parent returns to work which. Has implications for society
— paternity/maternity leave
— custody of children in case of divorce
— more societal acceptance of single father

Question 17

Grossmans study limitation

Answer 17

Doesn’t take into account non heterosexual partnerships
- if fathers a key role in development of attachment non heterosexual partnership would develop different from heterosexual parents
- however a study was dome that found single mothers and lesbian parent families do not develop differently
- this suggest th role of the father is not as important as other studies suggest

Question 18

Limitation into research of role oof the father

Answer 18

Difficult because many factors influence it
- eg work life balance, health, attitudes towards fathers gender role
- this means role of father is not clear or definitive
- so it is unclear wether fathers become primary attachment figure less often because of these factors or because women have a biological predisposition