PAPER ONE: ATTACHMENT
TOPIC: Schaffer’s stages of attachment
A01:
Schaffer & Emerson
- Aimed to investigate the formation of early attachments (age, emotional intensity,
direction)
- 60 babies from Glasgow and mainly w/c who were visited every month for a year and
at 18 months
- Mothers asked about separation and stranger anxiety
- 50% showed separation anxiety towards a particular adult between 25-32 weeks
- By 40 weeks, 80% had a specific attachment, 30% displayed multiple attachments
Stages of attachment:
1. Asocial (first few weeks) = behaviour towards non-human objects is similar to familiar
adults, no specific attachment yet
2. Indiscriminate (2-7 months) = preference for people, recognise and prefer familiar
adults, attachment same towards all
3. Specific (7 months) = show stranger and separation anxiety, formed a specific
attachment with primary caregiver
4. Multiple (1 year+) = secondary attachments with other adults, 29% form a secondary
attachment within a month of primary
A03:
X - Limited sample
All from Glasgow and w/c
Child rearing practices differ from 1 culture to another so these results can’t be generalised
to other social contexts
X - Problems with the asocial stage
In this stage babies are generally immobile so it’s difficult to make judgments about them
based on observations
Therefore, the evidence can’t be relied on
I&D = NOMOTHETIC APPROACH, proposes a general law for child development
- However, this is inflexible and can’t be applied to all children in all cultures
X - Conflicting evidence for multiple attachments
Van Ijzendoorn believes that babies form multiple attachments from the beginning especially
in collectivist cultures
This casts doubt on the reliability of the study due to other studies displaying a differing
opinion
✓ - High level of external validity
Conducted observations in each child’s own home meaning their behaviour was less likely to
be affected by the observers and more natural
Results are likely to apply to other children from similar demographics
,
, PAPER ONE: ATTACHMENT
TOPIC: Role of the father
A01:
Traditional view = fathers for play and financial burdens
Modern view = fathers should have a more active role as the amount of mothers working full
time has increased
STUDIES:
1. Grossman = quality of attachment to mother impacted attachments as adolescents
but attachment to father less important as they have a different role, play not nurture
2. Gieger = father as a playmate as they are more exciting compared to mothers who
take on a nurturing role
3. Hrdy = fathers less able to detect low levels of infant distress supporting the
biological explanation that lack of oestrogen in men means fathers aren’t equipped to
form close attachments
4. Field = found primary caregiver fathers spent more time interacting with infants than
secondary caregiver fathers showing fathers can be a nurturing attachment figure,
the key is responsiveness NOT gender
- In the UK, fathers not given paid paternal leave until 2003 (only 1-2 weeks) so
childcare given to mothers
- Fathers have the opportunity to stay home = contribute less to economy however
mothers return to work = contribute more to economy
- Fathers provide time away from childcare for mothers reducing stress but research
from Parke et al found fathers are just as good at understanding infants' cues so
women and men have the same potential (differences = role expectations?)
A03:
X - Research suggests single or same sex families are under benefitted
Researchers have found children growing up in these families don’t develop any differently
than those in 2 parent heterosexual families
Suggests the father’s role as the secondary attachment figure isn’t important
X - Differences between parental roles may be due to stereotypes
Fathers tend not to be the primary attachment figure due to gender roles as women are
expected to be more nurturing
However, could also be due to female hormones making them more nurturing and therefore
are biologically pre-disposed to be the primary attachment
X - No real answer to what the role of the father is
Research shows fathers are equally able as women to display responsiveness and form
attachments but they are restricted by paternal laws
Suggests there needs to be a change in legislation to enable fathers to form secure
attachments
X - Social biases prevent objective observation
TOPIC: Schaffer’s stages of attachment
A01:
Schaffer & Emerson
- Aimed to investigate the formation of early attachments (age, emotional intensity,
direction)
- 60 babies from Glasgow and mainly w/c who were visited every month for a year and
at 18 months
- Mothers asked about separation and stranger anxiety
- 50% showed separation anxiety towards a particular adult between 25-32 weeks
- By 40 weeks, 80% had a specific attachment, 30% displayed multiple attachments
Stages of attachment:
1. Asocial (first few weeks) = behaviour towards non-human objects is similar to familiar
adults, no specific attachment yet
2. Indiscriminate (2-7 months) = preference for people, recognise and prefer familiar
adults, attachment same towards all
3. Specific (7 months) = show stranger and separation anxiety, formed a specific
attachment with primary caregiver
4. Multiple (1 year+) = secondary attachments with other adults, 29% form a secondary
attachment within a month of primary
A03:
X - Limited sample
All from Glasgow and w/c
Child rearing practices differ from 1 culture to another so these results can’t be generalised
to other social contexts
X - Problems with the asocial stage
In this stage babies are generally immobile so it’s difficult to make judgments about them
based on observations
Therefore, the evidence can’t be relied on
I&D = NOMOTHETIC APPROACH, proposes a general law for child development
- However, this is inflexible and can’t be applied to all children in all cultures
X - Conflicting evidence for multiple attachments
Van Ijzendoorn believes that babies form multiple attachments from the beginning especially
in collectivist cultures
This casts doubt on the reliability of the study due to other studies displaying a differing
opinion
✓ - High level of external validity
Conducted observations in each child’s own home meaning their behaviour was less likely to
be affected by the observers and more natural
Results are likely to apply to other children from similar demographics
,
, PAPER ONE: ATTACHMENT
TOPIC: Role of the father
A01:
Traditional view = fathers for play and financial burdens
Modern view = fathers should have a more active role as the amount of mothers working full
time has increased
STUDIES:
1. Grossman = quality of attachment to mother impacted attachments as adolescents
but attachment to father less important as they have a different role, play not nurture
2. Gieger = father as a playmate as they are more exciting compared to mothers who
take on a nurturing role
3. Hrdy = fathers less able to detect low levels of infant distress supporting the
biological explanation that lack of oestrogen in men means fathers aren’t equipped to
form close attachments
4. Field = found primary caregiver fathers spent more time interacting with infants than
secondary caregiver fathers showing fathers can be a nurturing attachment figure,
the key is responsiveness NOT gender
- In the UK, fathers not given paid paternal leave until 2003 (only 1-2 weeks) so
childcare given to mothers
- Fathers have the opportunity to stay home = contribute less to economy however
mothers return to work = contribute more to economy
- Fathers provide time away from childcare for mothers reducing stress but research
from Parke et al found fathers are just as good at understanding infants' cues so
women and men have the same potential (differences = role expectations?)
A03:
X - Research suggests single or same sex families are under benefitted
Researchers have found children growing up in these families don’t develop any differently
than those in 2 parent heterosexual families
Suggests the father’s role as the secondary attachment figure isn’t important
X - Differences between parental roles may be due to stereotypes
Fathers tend not to be the primary attachment figure due to gender roles as women are
expected to be more nurturing
However, could also be due to female hormones making them more nurturing and therefore
are biologically pre-disposed to be the primary attachment
X - No real answer to what the role of the father is
Research shows fathers are equally able as women to display responsiveness and form
attachments but they are restricted by paternal laws
Suggests there needs to be a change in legislation to enable fathers to form secure
attachments
X - Social biases prevent objective observation
