Schaffers stages of attachment

• what is the procedure of schaffers stages of attachment

  -carried out on 60 glaswegian infants

  -researchers visited once a month for a year and again when the babies were 18 months

  -mothered were interviewed to describe the type of protest babies showed
• how was data gathered

  data was gathered using observation techniques.
• what is the first srage

  asocial

  -6 weeks after birth

  -don’t discriminate between humans

  -show a preference for humans over dogs

  -shows a preference for things that look like humans
• what is the second stage

  diffuse/indiscriminate

  -6 weeks to 6 months

  -more sociable

  -forms stronger bonds with familiar adults

  -no fear of strangers
• what’s the third stage

  specific

  -7 months

  -separation anxiety, distress and crying when primary figure leaves

  -distress in the company of strangers
• what is the fourth stage

  multiple

  -10 months

  -attachment with primary figure grows

  -increased interest in developing bonds with others
• what are the findings

  between 25-32 weeks, 50% showed signs of separation anxiety towards a particular adult

  attachment occurs with the caregiver who was most interactive with the infant

  at 40 weeks, 80% of babies had specific attachment and 30% displayed multiple attachments
• what is the strength?

  high ecological validity (P)

  data for the stages were collected from home (E)

  so behaviour would be natural (E)

  therefore high external validity and can be generalised (L)
• what is a limitation

  subjectivity/ bias (P)

  social desirability bias (E)

  mother may tell the researcher that her baby gets severly distressed when she leaves to make them think she’s a good parent (E)

  therefore it reduces overall validity (L)
• what is a limitation

  cultural bias (P)

  cant assume glaswegian children act the same as other culture children (E)

  behaviours may be different amongst other cultures (E)

  therefore not generalisable (L)
• what’s another limitation

  temporal validity (p)

  research was conducted in 1964 (E)

  cohn et al analysed that the number of stay at home fathers quadrupled in the last 25 years (E)

  cant assume children go through all 4 stages (L)