stages of attachment + multiple attachments Flashcards
who developed the stages of attachment? what year?
Schaffer 1996
what are the 4 stages of attachments?
-Pre-attachment phase (0-3m)
-Indiscriminate attachment phase (3-7/8m)
-Discriminate attachment phase (7/8m+)
-multiple attachments phase (9m+)
what is the pre-attachment phase?
infants become attracted to other humans, preferring them to objects/events, demonstrated through smiling
what is the indiscriminate attachment phase?
-begin to learn the difference between familiar and unfamiliar faces,
-smiling more at known people,
-still allow strangers to hold them
what is the discriminate attachment phase?
-begin to develop specific attachments
-stay close to particular people, become distressed when seperated
-avoid unfamiliar people, protest strangers handling them
what is the multiple attachments phase?
-strong emotional ties with major caregivers
-fear of strangers weakens
-attachment to mother figure remains the strongest
who are the main researchers associated with multiple attachments?
Bowlby and Rutter
what did Bowlby believe about multiple attachments?
children have one primary attachment, and any others were of minor importance in comparison
what did Rutter believe about multiple attachments?
(1995)
-model of multiple attachments, saw all attachments as having equal importance, which combine to form a child’s internal working model
briefly describe Schaffer and Emersons 1964 research on stages of attachment
-longitudinal study
-60 babies from glasgow
-studies each month in their own homes for a year, then again at 18m
-observations and interviews with mothers
-measured in two ways (stranger anxiety and separation protest)
-most started to show separation protest at 6/8m, stranger anxiety 1m later
-stronger attached = more responsive mothers
-18m 87% had at least 2 attachments, 31% had 5+
-39% of infants prime attachment wasn’t their main carer
-patterns suggest biological explanation
-attachments made easier with sensitive responsiveness
-multiple attachments were of similar quality (against Bowlby)
briefly evaluate Schaffer and Emerson’s study
-data collected by direct observation and interviews both allow for bias
-study has mundane realism as it was conducted in their homes, high validity
-large individual differences in when attachments formed, causing doubt on attachments being purely biological
what was Carpenters 1975 research contradicting Schaffer and Emerson?
showed babies voices and photos of faces, 2 week olds looked at faces longer when it was their mother’s face and voice, and became distressed at the sight of her face but not voice, contradicting schaffers beliefs that initially babies are attracted to any person interacting with them
evaluate multiple attachments
-could be argued children with multiple attachments are at an advantage (more able to form and conduct social relationships as they have experience, and if a child loses an attachment figure, it has multiple others to turn to
