Stages of Attachment

• What is the definition of attachment?

  An emotional bond between 2 people
• How is attachment described in terms of its nature?

  It is a 2 way process that endures over time
• What behavior indicates a child is seeking proximity to an attachment figure?

  Trying to stay physically close to them
• What is separation anxiety?

  Distress when an attachment figure leaves
• What does secure base behavior involve?

  Exploring the environment and returning for comfort
• What was the aim of Schaffer & Emerson's study in 1964?

  To investigate how and when attachments develop
• How many babies were involved in Schaffer & Emerson's study?

  60 babies
• What was the procedure of Schaffer & Emerson's study?

  Researchers visited babies and mothers monthly
• What did mothers report about their babies in the study?

  Protests made during 7 everyday separations
• What was assessed alongside the babies' attachment?

  Their anxiety response to unfamiliar people
• What percentage of babies showed separation anxiety towards their primary caregiver?

  50%
• What did the findings reveal about attachment quality?

  Stronger attachments were to those providing high-quality care
• What are the stages of attachment according to Schaffer & Emerson?

  1. Asocial
  2. Indiscriminate Attachment
  3. Specific Attachment
  4. Multiple Attachment
• What characterizes the asocial stage of attachment?

  Infants respond similarly to people and objects
• What preference develops during the indiscriminate attachment stage?

  Preference for familiar faces begins
• What occurs during the specific attachment stage?

  Attachment to the primary caregiver forms
• What behaviors are observed in the specific attachment stage?

  Stranger anxiety and proximity seeking
• When do multiple attachments typically begin?

  Within a month after specific attachment
• Who can form multiple attachments according to the research?

  Fathers, grandparents, siblings, and others
• What are the strengths of Schaffer & Emerson's research?

  • Good external validity
  • Observations made during ordinary activities
  • Likely natural behavior of participants
• Why is daycare straightforward in the asocial and indiscriminate stages?

  Babies can be comforted by any skilled adult
• What implication does Schaffer & Emerson's research have for daycare during the specific attachment stage?

  Daycare may be problematic during this stage
• What is a potential bias in the observations made by mothers?

  Mothers may have been biased or misremembered
• What is a limitation of the asocial stage in attachment research?

  Young babies may show subtle signs of anxiety
• What does the limitation of the asocial stage imply about babies' social behavior?

  Babies may actually be quite social
• What is a strength of Schaffer & Emerson’s research?

  Good External Validity

  • Most of the observations were made by parents during ordinary activities and reported to the researchers
  • If the researchers were present to record observations, the babies may have been distracted or felt anxious
  • This means it is highly likely that the participants behaved naturally while being observed
• What is a strength of Schaffer & Emerson’s research?

  Real World Application

  • In the asocial and indiscriminate stages, daycare is likely to be straightforward as babies can be comforted by any skilled adult
  • Schaffer & Emerson’s research tells us that daycare may be problematic during the specific attachment stage
  • This means that parents’ use of daycare can be planned using Schaffer & Emerson’s stages
• What is a limitation for Schaffer & Emerson’s research?

  Unreliable?

  • The mothers were unlikely to be objective observers
  • They may have been biased in what they noticed and reported or they may have misremembered it
  • This means that even if babies behaved naturally, their behaviour may not have been accurately recorded
• What is a limitation for Schaffer & Emerson’s research?

  Poor Evidence for the Asocial Stage

  • Young babies have poor co-ordination and if they felt anxiety in everyday situations, they may have displayed this in quite subtle ways
  • This made it difficult for mothers to observe and report back to researchers on signs of anxiety and attachment in this age group
  • This means that the babies may actually be quite social but because of flawed methods, they appear to be asocial