Development of attachment
● Attachment begins with reciprocity and interactional synchrony
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
● Aim: investigate the stages of attachment in infancy
● Method:
○ 60 infants from working class Glasgow homes, ranging from 5-23 weeks old
○ Studied up to the age of 1 year
○ The researchers visited the babies' mothers every 4 weeks
○ The mothers reported their infant's response to separation in 7 everyday situations, and the intensity of
the response, and who the protest was directed at
■ This measured attachment to the caregiver
○ They also measured stranger anxiety as the babies' response to the researcher
● Results: informed their proposed 'stages of attachment'
○ Attachment to the specific figure was found to increase over time
○ Stranger anxiety increased
● Stage 1 - Asocial stage: birth to 2 months
○ Similar response to all objects (animate or inanimate)
○ Reciprocity and interactional synchrony help to establish relationships
○ Show some preference to familiar adults - those individuals find it easier to calm them
● Stage 2 - Indiscriminate stage: 4 months
○ More social
○ Show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects - recognise and prefer familiar adults
○ Usually accept cuddles and comfort from any adult
○ Prefer human company
○ Doesn't show stranger anxiety
● Stage 3 - specific attachment: 7 months
○ Show separation anxiety and joy at reunion with their primary attachment figure
○ Fear of strangers develop
○ Begin to form specific attachments
■ Not necessarily the individual who spends the most time with the infant but the one who interacts
with the infant the most
● Stage 4 - multiple attachment: 1 year
○ Now also show multiple attachments - other parent, siblings, etc
Evaluation:
● The asocial stage is difficult to study
○ Young babies in this stage have poor coordination + generally immobile - difficult to make any
judgement about the infant based on observation of their behaviour
○ Not reliable
○ Difficult to draw any firm conclusions
● Methodological issues:
○ Used self-report data
○ Could include social desirability bias
○ Used a bias sample - may not be historically/ecologically valid (cultural differences)
● Problems with stage theories
○ Infants do not always develop in the same way or in the same order
○ Individual differences
● Cultural variations
○ Sagi et al. (1994) and the study of Kibbutz children (individualist/collectivist cultures)
○ External validity
The role of the father
● Attachment begins with reciprocity and interactional synchrony
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
● Aim: investigate the stages of attachment in infancy
● Method:
○ 60 infants from working class Glasgow homes, ranging from 5-23 weeks old
○ Studied up to the age of 1 year
○ The researchers visited the babies' mothers every 4 weeks
○ The mothers reported their infant's response to separation in 7 everyday situations, and the intensity of
the response, and who the protest was directed at
■ This measured attachment to the caregiver
○ They also measured stranger anxiety as the babies' response to the researcher
● Results: informed their proposed 'stages of attachment'
○ Attachment to the specific figure was found to increase over time
○ Stranger anxiety increased
● Stage 1 - Asocial stage: birth to 2 months
○ Similar response to all objects (animate or inanimate)
○ Reciprocity and interactional synchrony help to establish relationships
○ Show some preference to familiar adults - those individuals find it easier to calm them
● Stage 2 - Indiscriminate stage: 4 months
○ More social
○ Show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects - recognise and prefer familiar adults
○ Usually accept cuddles and comfort from any adult
○ Prefer human company
○ Doesn't show stranger anxiety
● Stage 3 - specific attachment: 7 months
○ Show separation anxiety and joy at reunion with their primary attachment figure
○ Fear of strangers develop
○ Begin to form specific attachments
■ Not necessarily the individual who spends the most time with the infant but the one who interacts
with the infant the most
● Stage 4 - multiple attachment: 1 year
○ Now also show multiple attachments - other parent, siblings, etc
Evaluation:
● The asocial stage is difficult to study
○ Young babies in this stage have poor coordination + generally immobile - difficult to make any
judgement about the infant based on observation of their behaviour
○ Not reliable
○ Difficult to draw any firm conclusions
● Methodological issues:
○ Used self-report data
○ Could include social desirability bias
○ Used a bias sample - may not be historically/ecologically valid (cultural differences)
● Problems with stage theories
○ Infants do not always develop in the same way or in the same order
○ Individual differences
● Cultural variations
○ Sagi et al. (1994) and the study of Kibbutz children (individualist/collectivist cultures)
○ External validity
The role of the father
