Schaffer and Emerson : Stages of Attachment

• Procedure:

  - Schaffer and Emerson conducted a longitudinal study on 60 Glasgow infant (5-23wks at the start of the study) from working-class homes

  - Studied them at monthly intervals for the first 18mnths of their life

  - The children were all studied in their home and a regular pattern was identified in the development of attachment

  - The babies were visited monthly for approx. 1yr, their interactions with their carers were observed, and carers were interviewed

  - researchers carried out direct observations of the infants' reactions when they approached him (stranger anxiety)- followed up at 18mths
• Mothers asked to keep a diary of:

  - Left alone in a room

  -Left with other people

  - Left in their pram outside the house

  - Left in their pram outside the shops

  -Left in their cot at night

  - Put down after being held by an adult

  - Passed by while sitting on their cot/chair
• Results:

  Up to 3mnths- indiscriminate attachment- the newborn is predisposed to attach to any human. Most babies respond equally to any caregiver

  
  

  After 4mnths-preference for certain people. Infants learn to distinguish primary and secondary caregivers but accept care from anyone

  
  

  After 7mnths- special preference for a single attachment figure- the baby looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection. It shows stranger fear and separation anxiety. Some babies demonstrate these more frequently and intensely than theirs, but they are still seen as evidence of an attachment - usually developed by 1yr
• More results:

  After 9mnths- Multiple attachments. the baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachment

  
  

  Mother- main attachment figure for 65% of the children's at 18mnths

  
  

  Only 3% of infants developed primary attachment to father

  
  

  18mnths - 31% of infants had formed multiple attachments e.g. to grandfather

  75% formed attachment to their father
• Conclusions:

  - results indicated that attachments were most likely to form with those who responded appropriately to the baby's signal, not the person they spent the most time with = sensitive responsiveness

  
  

  - Schaffer and Emerson argue that the most important factor is not who feeds/ changesthe child but who plays and communicates with hem

  
  

  - Suggested that fathers are secondary attachment figures as the majority of babies became attached to their mother first (around 7mnths)
• Mini Evaluation:

  - has mundane realism and high eco val as they were observed in their homes and stranger /separation anxiety are normal occurrences in day to day life

  
  

  - arguably also lacks temporal validity as child rearing practises have significantly change since the 1960s and the family dynamic
• Sensitive responsiveness


  Recognising and responding appropriately to infants' needs. E.g. they provide milk or change a nappy when the infant shows distress
• child-directed speech (CDS)


  Speech typically used by parents, cooing pattern of intonation directed towards young children. 'Sing-song' tone

  child-directed speech
• Stages of Attachment:

  Asocial: 0-6weeks

  - no discrimination between humans

  - preference for humans over non-humans

  - no stranger/separation anxiety/proximity seeking or secure-base behaviour

  
  

  Indiscriminate attachment: 6weeks to 6 months

  - they can tell people apart

  - stronger bonds start to grow with familiar adults

  -no stranger/separation anxiety/proximity seeking or secure-base behaviour

  
  

  Specific attachment: around 7 months

  -Attachment formed to primary caregiver and babies want their primary caregiver (usually their mother)

  - Strong displays of separation and stranger anxiety, proximity seeking and secure-base behaviour

  
  

  Multiple attachments: 10 months

  - babies develop multiple attachment relationships to their father, grandparents, siblings etc.

  - secondary relationships that they form are not as strong as their primary attachment caregiver
• Evaluation of Schaffer's stages of attachment:

  P- it is difficult to test the asocial stage in particular

  E- this is because it is very difficult to gather any meaningful data from infants at this age as they are immobile and have little coordination

  E- Some research has suggested that infants ARE social at this age e.g., Meltzoff and Moore found that babies as young as 2 weeks old have the ability to imitate, but this as a subjective interpretation of the babies behaviour.

  E- it may be the babies are quite social, it is just very difficult to measure in an objective way

  L- therefore the idea of an asocial stage is unfalsifiable
• Evaluation of Schaffer and Emerson's stages of attachment


  P- There is supporting research evidence for Schaffer's stages of attachment

  E- Schaffer and Emmerson found that the babies that they observed demonstrated these patterns of behaviour e.g. After 7 months the babies had a special preference for an attachment figure

  E- this adds credibility to the theory as it is empirical evidence for these behaviours

  C- However, this study lacks population validity, this is because it was carried out in the 1960s Glasgow and arguably - may not be generalisable as only working-class mothers in 1960s Glasgow therefore there is a culture and gender bias as it is not representative of the whole word Scotland is n individualistic culture doesn't demonstrate attachment behaviour in collectivist cultures/ in fathers
• Evaluation Useful real-life application

  P-It has useful real-life application

  E- this is because it is useful for organisations and people such as social workers to recognise and understand the stages of attachment in babies to identity neglect e.g. a child 9 months and they struggle to form a specific attachment and they would be able to compare the child's age to the behaviour observed

  E- therefore this adds credibility to the stages of attachment as they can help ensure that good attachment relationships are formed