Schaffer’s stages of attachment

• Who studied the attachment behaviors of babies?

  Schaffer and Emerson
• What did Schaffer and Emerson propose about attachment behaviors?


  They proposed that there are four identifiable stages of attachment.
• What are the four stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson?


  1. Asocial (from birth to 2 months)
  2. Indiscriminate attachments (from 2 to 6 months)
  3. Discriminate (specific) attachments (from 7 to 12 months)
  4. Multiple attachments (one year onwards)
• What characterizes the asocial stage of attachment?


  An infant shows similar responses to objects and people.
• What happens towards the end of the asocial stage?


  The infant displays a preference for faces and eyes.
• What is a key feature of the indiscriminate attachments stage?


  An infant shows a preference for human company over non-human company.
• At what age do infants begin to show stranger anxiety?


  From seven to twelve months during the discriminate attachments stage.
• What behaviors are displayed during the discriminate (specific) attachments stage?


  An infant shows a preference for one caregiver and displays separation and stranger anxiety.
• What happens during the multiple attachments stage?


  Attachment behaviors are displayed towards several different people.
• What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson's 1964 study?


  To examine the formation of early attachments.
• What was the sample size of Schaffer and Emerson's study?


  60 babies.
• What was the age range of the babies at the start of the investigation?

  5 To 23 weeks.
• How often did researchers visit the babies during the study?


  Every month for the first 12 months and then once again at 18 months.
• What methods did Schaffer and Emerson use to gather data?


  They interviewed mothers and observed children in relation to separation and stranger anxiety.
• What did the results of Schaffer and Emerson's study indicate about separation anxiety?


  At around 25 to 32 weeks, 50% of the children showed separation anxiety towards their mothers.
• By 40 weeks, what percentage of children had formed a specific (discriminate) attachment?


  80%.
• What percentage of children started to form multiple attachments by 40 weeks?


  30%.
• What are the conclusions drawn from Schaffer and Emerson's study?


  • Attachment develops through a series of stages across the first year of life.
  • The results support the different stages of developing an attachment.
• What is a strength of Schaffer and Emerson's research regarding ecological validity?


  The observations were conducted in each child’s own home, promoting natural behavior.
• Why does the study have high ecological validity?


  Because behaviors were observed in a real-life environment.
• What is a criticism of Schaffer and Emerson's research regarding population validity?


  The sample consisted only of working-class families from Glasgow.
• What does the lack of population validity imply about the study's results?


  The results cannot be generalized to mothers and babies from other cultures and backgrounds.
• What is a potential issue with the data collected from mothers in the study?

  There may be social desirability bias affecting the accuracy of reported details.
• How could social desirability bias affect the study's findings?


  It could reduce the internal validity of the findings.
• What does social desirability bias imply about the stages of attachment?


  It would be difficult to claim that all children go through the same stages of attachment.