schaffer's stages

• what was the aim of schaffer and emerson's study?

  investigate formation of early attachment
• outline the method of schaffer and emerson's study

  • sample of 60 glasgow babies
  • longitudinal study (studied every month for 1 year and then at 18 months)
  • used observations and interviews
  • assessed separation and stranger anxiety
• explain the findings of schaffer and emerson's study

  • attachment formed with most responsive caregiver
  • 50% showed specific attachment at 7 years
  • by 10 months, most had multiple attachments
  • by 1 year, 78% had multiple and 33% had 5 or more
• what did schaffer and emerson conclude?

  • pattern of attachment is biologically controlled
  • primary attachment is most likely with mother
• strength of schaffer & emerson's study - realistic

  • high ecological validity
  • conducted in natural home environments
  • behaviour was genuine
• weakness of schaffer and emerson's study - biased

  • biased sample
  • 60 babies from working-class families in glasgow
  • lacks population validity
• weakness of schaffer and emerson's study - subjective

  • measuring attachment is difficult
  • distress could be for many reasons instead of separation anxiety
  • lack internal validity
• what are the 4 stages of attachment that schaffer and emerson proposed?

  1. asocial stage
  2. indiscriminate attachment
  3. specific attachment
  4. multiple attachments
• what age is the asocial stage?

  0 to 2 months
• what age is the indiscriminate stage?

  2 to 6 months
• what age is the specific stage?

  7 to 12 months
• what age is the multiple stage?

  1 year
• outline what happens during the asocial stage of attachment

  • babies start to form a bond with carers
  • similar behaviour is seen towards non-human objects
  • reciprocity and interactional synchrony establish relationships with others
• explain the role of the indiscriminate attachment stage

  • preference for people rather than inanimate objects
  • distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people
  • don't show separation or stranger anxiety
• what is the role of the specific attachment stage?

  • display stranger anxiety and 65% show separation anxiety
  • form specific attachment
• outline what happens during multiple attachment stage

  • extend behaviour to other adults
  • secondary attachments
  • 29% had secondary within 1 month of forming primary attachment
• strength of stages - research support

  • schaffer and emerson
  • sequential order of stages of attachment
  • empirical evidence
• weakness of stages - lacks universality

  • cultural bias
  • collectivist cultures are more likely to form multiple attachments
  • lacks applicability
• weakness of stages - asocial stage

  • asocial stage is difficult to measure accurately
  • limited social behaviours makes observations difficult
  • lacks reliability