The Role of the Father Flashcards
(19 cards)
Who conducted research into the Role of Father?
Grossman
Field
What was Grossman’s aim?
To look at the parents relationship to the quality of children’s attachments in their teens
What were the two findings of Grossman?
The quality of the infant relationship with mother was related to the child’s attachments in their teens
The quality of the father’s play with infants was related to the quality of the child’s attachments in their teens
What was the quality of the father’s play related to?
the quality of the child’s attachments in their teens
What was the quality of the infant relationship with mother related to?
the child’s attachments in their teens
What was the child’s attachments in their teens related to?
The quality of the infant relationship with mother
What was the quality of the child’s attachments in their teens related to?
the quality of the father’s play
What does Grossman’s findings for mother and infant conclude to?
The father’s attachment is less important than the mother’s
What does Grossman’s findings for father’s play with infant conclude to?
Father’s have a different role in attachment - one that is related to play and stimulation, not nurturing
What research contradicts Grossman’s?
Field
What was the aim of Field’s research?
To investigate the role of the father in attachment
What was the method of Field?
Controlled observation
What was the procedure of Field?
Filming 4 month old infants interactions with primary caregiver mother, primary caregiver father and secondary caregiver father
What were the findings of Field?
primary caregiver fathers smiled just as much as primary caregiver mothers than secondary caregiver father
This behaviour seemed to be more important in building an attachment
What is the conclusion of Field?
That men can take on a more nurturing role
They key to attachment is the responsiveness of the caregiver
What can Field’s research be praised for?
Practical applications
Why is Field’s research praised for practical applications?
The conclusion that responsiveness is most important, not gender, in forming attachment has been used to change policies
Shared parental leave was introduced so that now men and women can take time off work to care for their infant
This is useful for where the father wants to take on a primary caregiver role to the child
Therefore praised for being an important part of applied psychology
What can be argued for in Grossman’s findings?
There is a biological basis to support his findings that father’s adopt a secondary caregiver role
What is the biological basis argument for Grossman?
Women have higher levels of estrogen which allow them to be more nurturing so they want to naturally spend more time with their child and therefore are more responsive
Men produce less estrogen and more testosterone so are not predisposed to be nurturing so it is suggested that their role is less important than the mother’s as Grossman suggested.
