The Role of the Father Flashcards
What does early research show about the role of the father?
It mainly focused on the mother being the primary caregiver and neglected the father’s role
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - findings about the role of the father
- only 3% of babies showed attachment to father first
- 75% formed an attachment with the father by 18 months
Which study suggested that the role of the father is more to do with play and stimulation?
Grossman (2002)
Grossman (2002) - procedure
- longitudinal study of 44 families
- compared the mothers’ and fathers’ role in development of attachments at 6, 10 and 16 years
Grossman (2002) - findings
Quality of attachment with mothers related to attachments in adolescence while quality of father’s play that related to attachments in adolescence
Which study suggested that fathers can act as primary caregivers?
Field (1978)
Field (1978) - procedure
Filmed 4-month old babies interactions with primary caregivers and secondary caregiver fathers
Field (1978) - findings
Primary caregiver fathers had more face-to-face interactions compared to secondary caregiver fathers
Field (1978) - conclusions
Fathers do have the potential to provide responsiveness required for an attachment
Strength - practical implications
- research shows that fathers can be primary caregivers
- suggest maternity and paternity could be split
Limitation - lack of clarity
- some psychologists are interested in the role of fathers as secondary attachment figures where others look at them as primary caregivers
Limitation - same-sex families
MacCallum and Golombok (2004) - found children in same-sex families do not develop any differently
- suggests that father’s role as a secondary attachment figure is not important
Limitation - extraneous variables
Other influences like culture and father’s beliefs affect a child’s emotional development. It is difficult to control all variables, making it harder to draw conclusions
