Role of the Father

• background: most attachment research has focused on the mother and baby and the role of the father is is often neglected. However there is research on specific roles that fathers play in development.
• 'father' doesn't have to refer to the baby's biological father, it can refer to the baby's closest male caregiver
• what was Emmerson's & Schaffer's observational study?

  Findings:

  • a majority of babies first became attached to their mothers around 7 months
  • 3% of cases the father was the sole object of attachment
  • 27% of cases the father was the joint first in attachment

  however:

  • 75% of babies formed an attachment to their father in the first 18 months, shown through the baby showing separation anxiety
• what was the argument for Schaffer & Emerson's study?

  fathers are less likely to become babies' first attachment figures compared to mothers
• In Emerson & Schaffer's study it an be argue that the father is a secondary attachment
• what was Grossman et al's 2002 study?

  • longitudinal study from baby to teenager
  • looking at babies' attachment until they were teenagers
• what were the findings of Grossman et al's study?

  findings:

  • the quality of the babies attachment with mothers but not fathers was related to attachment in adolescence: suggesting that attachment to fathers is less important than a mothers' attachment

  However:

  • quality of fathers play with the baby was related to quality of adolescence attachments: suggesting that fathers have a different role to mothers
  • arguing that play, social behaviour, challenge, stimulation is the role of the father
• what does Field 1978 argue about the role of fathers?

  that fathers have the potential to have an emotional attachment when they are needed
• what is the procedure of Field's 1978 study?

  • 4-month-old babies' interactions with their primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers & primary caregiver fathers and these interactions were filmed
• what were the findings of Field's 1978 study?

  findings:

  • primary caregiver fathers & primary care giver mothers spent more time smiling, imitating & holding their babies than secondary care givers
  • smiling, imitating & holding babies are all part of reciprocity and interactional synchrony which are part of the attachment process
  • suggesting that fathers have the potential to be emotion-focused primary attachments/ figures
• limitation of research into the role of the father

  lack of clarity into the role of the father:

  • the question proposed is confusing in the context of attachment as it is complicated.
  • some researchers want to answer the question & want to understand the role of the father, to see if fathers behave differently to mothers
  • whereas others are concerned with the fathers as the primary caregiver, as they find that fathers can take on a maternal role

  overall making this difficult to give a simple answer and why it more of a discussion
• weakness of research into the role of the father

  Grossman et al:

  • showed findings that fathers have a distinct role in their Childs' development: play, challenge, stimulation
  • it was thought that children in single parent families or lesbian families wont grow up with the same development as the other children
  • however it was proven that the children from the different families all developed the same

  this is a weakness because it limits the question 'do fathers have a distinctive role?' and therefore the question remains unanswered
• counterpoint to Grossman et al

  • it is said that lesbian couples and single mothers can adapt their roles as mothers to accommodate the role of the father as well

  this is a counterpoint because it suggests that the father doesn't play a distinct role it it ca be imitated

  however fathers do play a distinctive role when they are present in the child's life
• strength of research into the role of the father

  advice for all parents:

  • research can be used to give advice to heterosexual couples, homosexual couples and single mothers:
  • heterosexual couples are told that fathers are capable to become the primary caregiver if the situation called for it (jobs/money)
  • homosexual couples & single mothers can be assured that their child will develop normally even though there isn't a father figure to fulfill the role

  this is a strength as it has real world application and it can reduce the parents' anxiety
• consequence in the research into the role of the father

  preconceptions:

  • stereotypes of fathers in parenting roles and their behaviour are shown through adverts
  • stereotypes like fathers are not the primary caregivers or are more stricter may cause unintentional observer bias within the studies conducted whereby observers see what they expect to see rather than reality

  this is a consequence because it will reduce the internal validity of the study conducted