Stages of Attachment

• What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson's study in 1964?


  To assess whether there was a pattern of attachment formation common to all infants
• What type of study did Schaffer and Emerson conduct?


  A longitudinal study
• How many newborn babies were involved in Schaffer and Emerson's study?


  60 newborn babies
• What was the setting for the observations in Schaffer and Emerson's study?


  In the babies' own homes
• What evidence indicated the development of an attachment in infants?

  Separation anxiety after a carer left and stranger anxiety when approached
• What percentage of infants had their prime attachment not to the main carer?

  39%
• What percentage of children had their mother as the main attachment figure at 18 months?

  65%
• What percentage of infants studied developed an attachment for the father?

  3%
• How did strongly attached infants' mothers differ from those of weakly attached infants?


  Strongly attached infants had mothers who responded quickly to their needs
• What are the stages of attachment development according to Schaffer and Emerson?


  1. Asocial (0-8 weeks): Treat humans and objects similarly; prefer humans by 6 weeks.
  2. Indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months): Discriminate familiar from unfamiliar; allow strangers to handle them.
  3. Specific attachments (7-12 months): Form specific attachments; distressed when separated from primary caregiver.
  4. Multiple attachments (1 year onward): Form strong ties with multiple caregivers; reduced anxiety.
• What is the behavior of infants in the asocial stage of attachment development?


  They treat humans and objects similarly
• What characterizes the indiscriminate attachment stage?


  Babies start to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people
• What happens during the specific attachments stage?


  Babies form specific attachments to one primary caregiver
• What is observed in the multiple attachments stage?


  Babies form strong emotional ties with multiple caregivers
• What conclusion did Schaffer and Emerson draw about attachment formation?


  There is a common pattern of attachment formation suggesting biological control
• What is meant by "sensitive responsiveness" in attachment formation?


  It refers to how accurately caregivers respond to a baby's signals
• How does Schaffer and Emerson's findings challenge Bowlby's idea of attachment hierarchy?


  They suggest multiple attachments are the norm and of similar quality
• What is a strength of the Schaffer study regarding its design?


  It is longitudinal, providing better internal validity
• Why does the use of different data collection methods strengthen the Schaffer study?


  It increases the reliability of the study
• How does studying babies in their own homes affect the study's validity?

  It increases ecological validity
• What is a limitation of the Schaffer study related to mothers' ratings?


  It may introduce social desirability bias
• What temporal limitation is noted in the Schaffer study regarding fathers as attachment figures?


  Only 3% of infants had fathers as the main attachment figure
• How does the socio-economic background of the participants affect the study's validity?


  It decreases population validity due to similar upbringing
• What are the criticisms of assessing multiple attachments?


  • Distress does not necessarily indicate a true attachment.
  • Uncertainty exists about when children can form multiple attachments.
  • Some cultures may show different attachment formation patterns.
• What did Bowlby believe about primary and multiple attachments?


  He believed children had one primary attachment that was more important
• What model did Rutter propose regarding multiple attachments?


  He proposed that all attachments are of equal importance
• Why might children form multiple attachments to different people?


  For different purposes, such as loving care or exciting play
• What is a limitation regarding the assessment of multiple attachments in children?


  A distressed baby may not signify a true attachment
• What does research suggest about the timing of forming multiple attachments?


  Most research suggests a primary attachment forms first, then multiple ones
• How do collectivist cultures like China differ in attachment formation?


  They may show that babies can form multiple attachments from the outset