role of the father

• what did GROSSMAN study?


  how important fathers are in children’s development and do they have a distinctive role
• what were the findings of schaffer and emerson?

  3% primary attached to father

  27% primary attached to mother and father
• procedure of GROSSMAN

  longitudinal study at parents relationship to the quality of childrens attachments
• finding of GROSSMAN

  quality of infant attachments with mothers but not fathers suggests that a fathers attachment is less important

  fathers play a role in stimulation which affects confidence and risk taking
• FIELD procedure

  filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mother, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers
• FIELD findings

  primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants compared to secondary fathers
• FIELD conclusions

  behaviour seems to be more important in building attachment with infant

  key to attachment is level of responsiveness NOT gender
• why are mothers still more likely to be primary caregivers?

  cultural factors

  economic factors

  biological factors