Psychology: Attachment
Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment
Schaffer and Emerson conducted a study:
Aim- To investigate the development of early attachments, their emotional intensity and
whom they were directed.
Procedure- The study involved 60 babies from Glasgow and majority came from a working-
class background. The babies and mothers were visited at home every month for the first 30
months. The researchers asked mothers questions based on how their children react to
everyday separations (a measure of separation anxiety). This was designed to measure the
infant’s attachment to measure stranger anxiety.
Findings- Between 25 and 32 weeks of age about 50% of their babies showed signs of
separation anxiety towards a particular adult (specific attachment). Attachment tended to
be to the caregiver that responded to the babies’ signals and facial expressions. This was not
always the person who spent most time with the infant. By the age of 4 weeks, 80% of the
babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments.
Evaluation of the study:
One strength of this study is that there is good external validity. Schaffer and
Emerson’s study was carried out in the families’ own home so most of the
observation was done by parents doing ordinary activities and reported to
researchers later. This means that the behaviour of the babies was unlikely to be
affected by the presence of observers, therefore the study has good external validity.
One strength of this study was that it was a longitudinal study which means that the
same children were observed regularly. Longitudinal study has good internal validity
because they do not have confounding variable of individual differences between
participants.
One limitation of this study is that there is a limited sample. The sample size of 60
babies and their carers was good considering the large volume of data that was
gathered on each participant. However, the fact that all the families involved were
from the same social class in the same city makes the findings unrepresentative.
Child rearing styles differs from culture to culture so these results would not
generalise to other social and historical contexts.
Stages of attachment:
Schaffer and Emerson proposed that attachments develop in four stages:
Stage 1- Asocial stage (first few weeks):
- Show preference for familiar adults
- Babies are happier in the presence of other humans
- Smiling at anyone
Stage 2- Indiscriminate attachment (From 2-7 months):
- Preference for people rather than innate objects
- Recognise and prefer familiar people
- Smile more at familiar than unfamiliar faces
- Accept comfort from any adults
Stage 3- Specific attachment (From around 7 months):
- Show separation anxiety
- Show stranger anxiety
Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment
Schaffer and Emerson conducted a study:
Aim- To investigate the development of early attachments, their emotional intensity and
whom they were directed.
Procedure- The study involved 60 babies from Glasgow and majority came from a working-
class background. The babies and mothers were visited at home every month for the first 30
months. The researchers asked mothers questions based on how their children react to
everyday separations (a measure of separation anxiety). This was designed to measure the
infant’s attachment to measure stranger anxiety.
Findings- Between 25 and 32 weeks of age about 50% of their babies showed signs of
separation anxiety towards a particular adult (specific attachment). Attachment tended to
be to the caregiver that responded to the babies’ signals and facial expressions. This was not
always the person who spent most time with the infant. By the age of 4 weeks, 80% of the
babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments.
Evaluation of the study:
One strength of this study is that there is good external validity. Schaffer and
Emerson’s study was carried out in the families’ own home so most of the
observation was done by parents doing ordinary activities and reported to
researchers later. This means that the behaviour of the babies was unlikely to be
affected by the presence of observers, therefore the study has good external validity.
One strength of this study was that it was a longitudinal study which means that the
same children were observed regularly. Longitudinal study has good internal validity
because they do not have confounding variable of individual differences between
participants.
One limitation of this study is that there is a limited sample. The sample size of 60
babies and their carers was good considering the large volume of data that was
gathered on each participant. However, the fact that all the families involved were
from the same social class in the same city makes the findings unrepresentative.
Child rearing styles differs from culture to culture so these results would not
generalise to other social and historical contexts.
Stages of attachment:
Schaffer and Emerson proposed that attachments develop in four stages:
Stage 1- Asocial stage (first few weeks):
- Show preference for familiar adults
- Babies are happier in the presence of other humans
- Smiling at anyone
Stage 2- Indiscriminate attachment (From 2-7 months):
- Preference for people rather than innate objects
- Recognise and prefer familiar people
- Smile more at familiar than unfamiliar faces
- Accept comfort from any adults
Stage 3- Specific attachment (From around 7 months):
- Show separation anxiety
- Show stranger anxiety
