Stages of Attachment

• What type of study did Schaffer and Emerson conduct on infants?

  Longitudinal study
• How often were the infants visited in the study?

  Monthly for the first 18 months
• What did mothers keep to track their infant's responses?

  A diary of the infant's responses
• How many everyday situations were mothers asked to observe their infants in?

  Seven everyday situations
• What was one of the situations mothers recorded their infants' responses to?

  Left alone in a room
• What was observed directly during the study?

  Infants' reactions when approached
• What is the first stage of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson?

  Indiscriminate attachments
• At what age do infants develop indiscriminate attachments?

  Up to 3 months of age
• What happens after 4 months of age in attachment development?

  Preference for certain people develops
• What is a sign of a specific attachment at around 7 months?

  Stranger anxiety and distress upon separation
• What percentage of children had their mother as the main attachment figure at 18 months?

  65%
• What is sensitive responsiveness in attachment formation?

  Responding accurately to the baby's signals
• What are the four stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson?

  1. Asocial attachment (Birth to 2 months)
  2. Indiscriminate attachment (2 to 7 months)
  3. Specific attachment (from 7 months)
  4. Multiple attachments (8 months onwards)
• What characterizes asocial attachment in infants?

  Similar response to all animate or inanimate objects
• What happens during the indiscriminate attachment stage?

  Marked preference for people over objects
• What was the purpose of the longitudinal study on infants from working class homes conducted by Schaffer and Emerson?

  To observe the interactions between infants and their caregivers and the infants' responses to separation in everyday situations
• What were the seven everyday situations in which the infants' responses to separation were observed?

  Left alone in a room, left with other people, left on 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 or chair
• What did the study find about the development of attachments in infants?

  Attachments develop in a sequence from indiscriminate attachments to preference for a single attachment figure to multiple attachments
• What percentage of infants studied had the mother as their main attachment figure at 18 months old?

  65%
• What percentage of infants studied had formed multiple attachments by 18 months old?

  31%
• What was the most important factor in forming attachments according to the study?

  Sensitive responsiveness - the caregiver's ability to accurately respond to the baby's signals, not the amount of time spent with the child
• SOA AO3 - Good external validity


  • Schaffer and Emerson’s study had good external validity as the study took place in the family’s own home (natural environment) and observations were taken by the mother
  • This means that behaviour was unlikely to be affected by the presence of other observers, hence participants behaving naturally
  • The children were observed and followed up regularly over a long period of time → gave a better insight into attachments at different stages
  • Suggesting that it has both good internal and external validity
• What are the 4 stages of attachment development?

  1. Asocial attachment (Birth to 2 months)
  2. Indiscriminate attachment (2 to 7 months)
  3. Specific attachment (from around 7 months)
  4. Multiple attachments (8 months onwards)
• What are the key characteristics of the indiscriminate attachment stage (Stage 2)?

  The child shows a marked preference for people over inanimate objects, recognizes and prefers familiar adults, accepts comfort from any adult, and does not show stranger or separation anxiety
• What are the key characteristics of the specific attachment stage (Stage 3)?

  Infants start to show stranger anxiety and distress when separated from a specific adult, their primary attachment figure
• What are the key characteristics of the multiple attachments stage (Stage 4)?

  About a month after forming a specific attachment, the child displays attachment behavior towards other familiar people, forming secondary attachments
• What are the key factors that help establish an infant's relationships with others?

  • Time reciprocity
  • Time synchrony
• How do the functions of a primary attachment figure differ from a secondary attachment figure?

  The primary attachment figure provides the infant with security, comfort, and protection, while secondary attachment figures are additional sources of care and support
• If an infant shows distress when separated from a specific adult, what stage of attachment development is the infant in?

  Specific attachment stage (Stage 3)
• What are the key differences between the primary attachment figure and secondary attachment figures for an infant?

  • Primary attachment figure:
  • Provides security, comfort, and protection
  • Infant's main source of care and support
  • Secondary attachment figures:
  • Additional sources of care and support
  • Not as central to the infant's sense of security
• What percentage of infants studied had formed a primary attachment to their father by 18 months old?

  3%
• How does the role of time spent with the infant differ from the caregiver's sensitive responsiveness in the formation of attachments?

  The most important factor is the caregiver's ability to accurately respond to the infant's signals, not the amount of time spent with the child
• What are the key differences between the Asocial attachment stage (Stage 1) and the Indiscriminate attachment stage (Stage 2)?

  Stage 1 (Asocial attachment):

  • Infant responds similarly to all animate and inanimate objects
  • Starts to show preference for being with people

  
  

  Stage 2 (Indiscriminate attachment):

  • Infant shows marked preference for people over objects
  • Recognizes and prefers familiar adults
  • Accepts comfort from any adult
  • Does not show stranger or separation anxiety
• If an infant is 6 months old and accepts comfort from any adult caregiver, what stage of attachment development is the infant in?

  Indiscriminate attachment stage (Stage 2)
• How does the role of the primary attachment figure differ from secondary attachment figures in providing security and comfort to the infant?

  The primary attachment figure is the infant's main source of security, comfort, and protection, while secondary attachment figures provide additional care and support but are not as central to the infant's sense of security
• What are the key differences between the Specific attachment stage (Stage 3) and the Multiple attachments stage (Stage 4)?

  Stage 3 (Specific attachment):

  • Infant starts to show stranger anxiety and distress when separated from primary attachment figure

  
  

  Stage 4 (Multiple attachments):

  • About a month after forming a specific attachment, infant displays attachment behavior towards other familiar people, forming secondary attachments
• If an 8-month-old infant displays attachment behaviors towards both their primary caregiver and other familiar people, what stage of attachment development is the infant in?

  Multiple attachments stage (Stage 4)
• How do the findings of the Schaffer and Emerson study challenge the traditional view of attachment?

  • The study found that the most important factor in forming attachments is the caregiver's sensitive responsiveness, not the amount of time spent with the child.
  • It showed that infants can form multiple attachments, not just a single attachment to the primary caregiver.
• SOA AO3 - Studying the asocial stage


  • The babies are young, have poor coordination and are immobile
  • It’s difficult to make any judgments about them because there is not much to be observed in the first month
  • This makes it difficult to clearly assess the child’s feelings and cognitions at the early stage of developing their attachments
• SOA AO3 - Evidence of multiple att.


  • One issue with Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment is that they state that the infant must go through also the stages of attachment before forming multiple attachments
  • However attachments are culturally specific - in some collectivist cultures infants live with multiple members of families where these may be the first stage of attachment
  • This suggests that the study does not account for cultural differences because multiple attachments are likely to be much easier on a collectivist culture than an individualist culture