The role of the father

• what did Schaffer and Emerson find out about the role of the father

  found that majority of babies first attachment was the mother

  3% of cases= father as first attachment

  27% of cases= father joint first attachment with mother
• what was the research done by Grossman et al (2002)

  longitudinal study

  study babies attachment until their teens

  researchers looked at both parents behaviours and its relationship to the quality of babies later attachment to others

  quality of babies attachment was related to adolescent attachments for fathers
• what did Grossman concluded about fathers attachments

  less important than mothers attachment

  quality of fathers play with babies related to adolescent attachments

  suggests fathers have different role to mothers

  fathers role= play and stimulation
• what was Fields(1978) research in fathers being the primary attachment figure

  filmed 4-month-old babies in face-to-face interactions with primary care mothers, secondary care fathers and primary care fathers

  primary care fathers ( and mothers)= spend more time smiling, imitating and holding babies than secondary care fathers
• what did Field conclude

  fathers have the potential to be the more emotion-focused primary attachment figure

  but only expressed when given role of primary caregiver
• strengths of research into role of the father

  can be used to offer advice to parents(reduces anxiety of role of father)

  fathers can adopt a distinctive role but families can adapt to not having a father
• limitations of research into role of the father

  lack of clarity of which questions are being asked(not a simple question of what the role of the father is)

  findings vary depending on methods used

  researcher bias on role of the father