AO1

• Bowlby (1988)

  • suggests that fathers can fill a role closely resembling the mothers role but it is uncommon
  • According to Bowlby a father is more likely to engage in physically active and novel play and is the childs preferred play companion
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

  • Found that majority of babies attached to the mother first at around 7 months
  • In 27% of cases it was the mother and the father and in 3% of cases it was solely the father
  • Additional attachments proceeded in the next months - 75% of cases bonds were formed with fathers by 18 months
• Field (1978)

  • Compared the behaviours of primary caretaker mothers with primary and secondary caretaker fathers
  • Face to face interactions were analysed from video footage with infants at 4 months
  • Secondary caregiver fathers engaged more in game playing and held their infants less
  • Primary caregiver fathers engaged in significantly more smiling, imitative grimaces and imitative vocalisations which were comparable to mothers behaviour
• Grossman et al. (2002)

  • Conducted a longitudinal study of 44 families comparing the role of fathers and mothers contribution to their children’s attachment experiences at 6, 10 and 16 years
  • Quality of an infant attachment with mother was related to children’s attachments in adolescent, fathers attachment less important
  • Therefore fathers may be less important in long term emotional development
  • Found quality of the fathers play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachments
  • This suggests fathers have a different role in attachment, one to do with play and stimulation
• Brown et al. (2012)

  • investigated father involvement, paternal sensitivity and father-child attachment security at 13 months and 3 years
  • Results - involvement and sensitivity influenced father-child attachment security at age 3
  • Involvement was a greater predictor of secure attachment when fathers were rated as less sensitive
  • Suggests that the gender of a caregiver is not crucial in predicting attachment types rather than the extent of caregiver involvement