Schaffer's Stages of Attachment

• Strength - Good external validity

  • Mothers did the observing so babies not stressed by being observed

  Counterpoint - Mothers might not have accurately noted behaviour
• Limitation - Poor evidence for the asocial stage

  Babies have poor coordination so may just seem asocial
• Strength - Real World Application

  • No harm in starting day care during social/indiscriminate stages

  • Counterpoint - However problematic starting day care in specific attachment stage
• Limitation - Poor generalisability

  Data was gathered only in 1960's working class Glasgow

  Multiple attachment may be different in collectivist cultures (Van Ijzendoorn)