The role of the father

Question 1

Do babies attach to fathers?

Answer 1

yes, but usually later than to mothers

Question 2

What were the findings of Schaffer & Emerson’s stduy into role of father?

Answer 2

97% babies first attachment to mums, 3% to dads

75% babies had attached to dads by 18 months (showed distress when dads walked away)

Question 3

Describe Grossman et al’s longitudinal study procedure

Answer 3

• measured attachment between babies, mums and dads, and later their attachment to other people

Question 4

Describe Grossman et al’s findings

Answer 4

• the quality of father’s attachment with baby did not affect quality of adolescent attachments

Question 5

Describe Grossman et al’s conclusion

Answer 5

fathers do have a distinctive role, however it is more related to play and stimulation rather than emotional development

Question 6

What is meant by primary attachment?

Answer 6

can refer to the first, attachment, but also has more special emotional significance- can form the basis of all later close emotional relationships

Question 7

What were the findings and conclusions from the Tiffany Field study?

Answer 7

• primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating adn holding their babies than secondary caregiver fathers

-dads can be emotion-focused primary attachment figures, but this may only occur when assigned the role (i.e single parents)

Question 8

Supporting evidence of this theory

Answer 8

Grossmn’s theory suggests that fathers have a distinctive role in a family

• longitudinal study
• found the quality of fathers plau, stimulation related to the quality of adolescent attachments

-suggests that fathers hvae a distinctive role which focuses on play and stimulation

Question 9

Criticisms of this supporting evidence

Answer 9

Research by McCallum and Golombok suggests that children growing up in a single-mother and lesbian-parent families do not develop differently

suggests fathers may not be able to use this theory to suggest distinctive role

Question 10

Application of this study

Answer 10

can prevent negative teenage behaviour and poor relationships forming later in life

help society understand the importance of interactions with children to strengthen attachment building

Question 11

Is this theory Reductionistic?

Answer 11

Can’t be applied to the rest of the population
- such as single parent households
- doesnt take into account fathers of neurodiverse chuldren
- lacks temporal validity and is oversimplistic