Stages of attachment

• Participants- 


  60 babies (31 male and 29 female). All from Glasgow from mainly working class families
• Method- 


  -Mother and baby were visited in their own home (naturalistic study) every month until infant was 1 year and again when infant was 18 months (longitudinal study)

  -Researchers asked mother questions about type of protest their baby makes in everyday separations (such as mother leaving room). They were looking at the infants attachment to the caregiver and stranger anxiety
• Findings-

  -Between 25-32 weeks of age about 50% of babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards caregiver (known as specific attachment)

  -Attachment tended to be with the person who was most interactive and sensitive to infants signals and facial expressions (reciprocity)

  -By age of 40 weeks 70% of infants had specific attachment and 30% had multiple attachments
• Stage 1 - Asocial stage (first few weeks)

  -Baby is recognising and bonding with caregiver, however baby still responds to human objects and humans in similar manner

  -Show some preference for familiar adults in that those individuals find it easier to calm them

  -Babies seem to be happier in presence of these individuals
• Stage 2 - Indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months)

  -Babies display more observable social behaviour

  -They prefer people to inanimate objects and recognise and prefer familiar humans

  -Baby usually accepts cuddles and comfort from any adult and do not usually show separation anxiety or stranger anxiety
• Stage 3- Specific attachment (around 7 months)

  -Majority of infants start to display stranger anxiety and separation anxiety (biological mother in 65% of cases)

  -Baby has formed a specific attachment, this is the person who best responds to infants needs and signals
• Stage 4 - Multiple attachments (around 8 months)

  -Infants start to have secondary attachments with people it sees on a regular basis.

  -29% of infants had a secondary attachment within a month of forming specific attachment

  -By age of one year the majority of infants have formed multiple attachments
• Limitation- Asocial

  -It describes the first few weeks as asocial. The problem with this is that babies that are young have poor coordination and are pretty much immobile

  -Therefore, it can be difficult to make only judgements about purpose of the behaviour. It is possible that the infants are actually social but the flawed methods mean that they appear asocial
• Weakness - Multiple explanations Bowlby

  -There is conflicting evidence on the timing of multiple attachments

  -Bowlby argues that infants form a single attachment to their carer rather than multiple attachments

  -He called this a monotropic relationship

  -Therefore, may be multiple explanations for attachment formation
• Weakness- Van Ijzendoorn

  -Van Ijzendoorn believes that culture plays a part in how and when we form attachments and with whom.

  -In many non-western societies, babies have multiple carers, as this is the norm and so multiple attachments are formed from the outset

  -Therefore, contridicting Schaffer & Emerson that babies don't form multiple attachments until around 9 months
• Weakness- Analysis

  -There may be an issue in how multiple attachments are measured and assessed.

  -Just because an infant gets distressed when someone leaves the room, it doesn't mean the person is a 'true' attachment

  -Bowlby states children have playmates and child might be upset when they leave but that doesn't indicate an attachment

  -Therefore, we must be careful in analysis and in forming conclusions
• Weakness- Voice

  -Carpenter (1975) found that 2 week-old infants looked at faces for longer when it was accompanied with the mothers voice rather than an unfamiliar one.

  -This suggests that infants are attached to their mothers at an earlier age than Schaffer & Emerson suggested.
• Behaviour in Stage 1 (asocial)-

  -Happier in presence of humans than alone

  -Preference for familiar individuals

  -Recognise specific faces

  -Behaviour between humans and non human objects quite similar

  -Smile at everyone

  -Prefer face to non face
• Behaviour in Stage 2 (indiscriminate attachment) -

  -Recognise and prefer familiar people

  -Smile more at familiar than unfamiliar faces

  -Accept comfort from any adult

  -Preference for people rather than inanimate objects
• Behaviour in Stage 3(specific attachments) -

  -Show separation anxiety

  -Use familiar adults as secure base

  -Primary attachment to one particular individual

  -Show stranger anxiety
• Behaviour in Stage 4(multiple attachments)-

  -Form secondary attachments with familiar adults with whom they spend time