Stages of Attachment 16 marks
Schaffer and Emerson investigated the stages of attachment in there longitudinal study of
60 Glaswegian working-class babies in the 1960s. The study took place over 18 months, and
they used self-report and observations to collect their data. They identified 4 stages of
attachment. The first stage of attachment is the Asocial stage which was from 0-6 weeks. In
this stage the baby had no preference for humans over objects and experiences no anxiety
over separation seeking comfort from anyone or anything. The second stage was the
Indiscriminate attachment which was between 6 weeks to 6 months. In this stage the baby
showed a preference towards human comfort and was more comfortable with adults they
knew well however they would still accept comfort from anyone. The third stage of
attachment is the Specific attachment stage which is around 7 months. At this stage the
baby develops an attachment to their primary caregiver wanting comfort from this figure.
The child also showed separation and stranger anxiety over this one caregiver. The last and
fourth stage is the multiple attachment stage which is around 9/10 months of age. This is
where the baby forms secondary attachments usually to the father or grandparents,
showing separation anxiety also over these caregivers as well. Schaffer and Emerson found
that by 18 months 75% of infants had formed a secondary attachment to their father.
One limitation of Schaffer and Emersons research into the stages of attachment is that it
cannot be generalised. This is because it used 60 infants from one area and one social class
and therefore it cannot be known if these stages of attachment are the same across
different cultures or classes. For example in collectivist cultures it is much more likely for an
infant to form multiple attachments earlier due to the shared nature of child rearing. This
means that the research lacks population validity and it cannot be known if these stages of
attachment are applicable to all children.
Additionally, a further limitation is that the research may suffer from social desirability bias.
As the mothers or caregivers were often the ones reporting their child’s behaviour they may
have exaggerated how early their child was exhibiting these behaviours in order to make
themselves appear like better parents. This could’ve influenced results and led to an
inaccurate depiction of the infants behaviours reducing the validity of the findings.
A strength of the stages of attachment is that it has practical applications in nurseries.
Understanding the stage of attachment that an infant is in can help the staff understand the
comfort that the child needs to be provided and can also help promote an attachment to
nursery staff ensure a smoother transition once a child is in the multiple attachment stage.
This has led to a more effective form of childcare and a better understanding of infants
behaviours allowing for a better quality of care.
A further limitation of the stages of attachment is that the stages may lack temporal validity.
This is because the study took place during the 1960s, a time in which the expectation was
for women to stay home and take care of the baby. In the present-day women are freer to
return to work as early as they’d like, this could influence the stages of attachment as
infants may bypass the specific attachment stage and just form multiple attachments as they
are not necessarily experiencing just one caregiver for prolonged periods anymore. This
implies that the stages of attachment may need to be updated in line with modern society.
Schaffer and Emerson investigated the stages of attachment in there longitudinal study of
60 Glaswegian working-class babies in the 1960s. The study took place over 18 months, and
they used self-report and observations to collect their data. They identified 4 stages of
attachment. The first stage of attachment is the Asocial stage which was from 0-6 weeks. In
this stage the baby had no preference for humans over objects and experiences no anxiety
over separation seeking comfort from anyone or anything. The second stage was the
Indiscriminate attachment which was between 6 weeks to 6 months. In this stage the baby
showed a preference towards human comfort and was more comfortable with adults they
knew well however they would still accept comfort from anyone. The third stage of
attachment is the Specific attachment stage which is around 7 months. At this stage the
baby develops an attachment to their primary caregiver wanting comfort from this figure.
The child also showed separation and stranger anxiety over this one caregiver. The last and
fourth stage is the multiple attachment stage which is around 9/10 months of age. This is
where the baby forms secondary attachments usually to the father or grandparents,
showing separation anxiety also over these caregivers as well. Schaffer and Emerson found
that by 18 months 75% of infants had formed a secondary attachment to their father.
One limitation of Schaffer and Emersons research into the stages of attachment is that it
cannot be generalised. This is because it used 60 infants from one area and one social class
and therefore it cannot be known if these stages of attachment are the same across
different cultures or classes. For example in collectivist cultures it is much more likely for an
infant to form multiple attachments earlier due to the shared nature of child rearing. This
means that the research lacks population validity and it cannot be known if these stages of
attachment are applicable to all children.
Additionally, a further limitation is that the research may suffer from social desirability bias.
As the mothers or caregivers were often the ones reporting their child’s behaviour they may
have exaggerated how early their child was exhibiting these behaviours in order to make
themselves appear like better parents. This could’ve influenced results and led to an
inaccurate depiction of the infants behaviours reducing the validity of the findings.
A strength of the stages of attachment is that it has practical applications in nurseries.
Understanding the stage of attachment that an infant is in can help the staff understand the
comfort that the child needs to be provided and can also help promote an attachment to
nursery staff ensure a smoother transition once a child is in the multiple attachment stage.
This has led to a more effective form of childcare and a better understanding of infants
behaviours allowing for a better quality of care.
A further limitation of the stages of attachment is that the stages may lack temporal validity.
This is because the study took place during the 1960s, a time in which the expectation was
for women to stay home and take care of the baby. In the present-day women are freer to
return to work as early as they’d like, this could influence the stages of attachment as
infants may bypass the specific attachment stage and just form multiple attachments as they
are not necessarily experiencing just one caregiver for prolonged periods anymore. This
implies that the stages of attachment may need to be updated in line with modern society.
