Schaffer's stages

• What are the 4 stages of attachment

  1) Asocial (no preference between people/objects)

  2) Indiscriminate (prefer humans to objects)

  3) Specific (special attachment to one caregiver)

  4) Multiple (multiple attachments)
• A03 for stages of attachment:

  :) Longitudinal study so large amount of data could be collected

  :( low population validity as all infants were from same place and same working class therefore application to other demographics is limited and may have cultural bias

  :( social desirability bias as the mothers were also reporting on the infants behaviour personally

  :) high ecological validity as the infants were observed in their own homes rather than an artificial setting
• Schaffer and Emerson's Longitudinal Glaswegian baby study (AO1)

  • 60 babies, 31 male 29 female
  • Glasgow, working-class families
  • Babies and mothers visited at home every month for first year
  • Visited again at 18 months
  • Asked mothers questions about protest their babies showed in 7 everyday separations
  • Measured babies attachment and anxiety
• Schaffer and Emerson findings

  • 25-32 weeks of age, 50% showed separation anxiety (usually towards mother)
  • Attachment tended to be to caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infant's signals/sr's
  • 40 weeks, 80% babies had specific attachment
  • 30% multiple attachments
• Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson's study: validity (AO3)

  • Good external validity due to using families' own homes and parents for observation (means behaviour is more likely to be natural, reduces demand characteristics which may skew conclusions)
  • High external validity of findings
• Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson's study: usage of self report (AO3)

  • Negative/limitation as it's possible parents may have lied and over/under exaggerated observations to appear as a better parent to researchers
  • Data and observation recordings cannot entirely be trusted
  • Limits/reduces external validity
• Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson's study: longitudinal design (AO3)

  • Same children were followed up and observed regularly
  • High internal validity due to reducing the confounding variable of individual differences between ppts
  • Directly observes and measures ppts meaning findings are likely to be because of the IV not confounding variables
• Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson's study: limited sample characteristics (ao3)

  • Families studied were all from same district and same social class in same city
  • Limitation as child-rearing practises vary from one culture to another alongside historical periods
  • Studies a western view of child rearing therefore findings cannot be generalised to a wider population due to imposed etic
  • Therefore limits the explanatory ability of stages of attachment and may not be universal as suggested
• What is a limitation with Schaffer's stages of attachment? (AO3)

  • Babies are young and have poor co-ordination/generally immobile
  • Isnt much behaviour to observe, therefore we rely on inferences
  • May be subjective to observer and overall lacks clarity/validity
  • Therefore may call into question the observations made establishing the asocial stage
  • Unreliable and hard to study
• What is an issue with conflicting evidence for the multiple stage of attachment? (AO3)

  • Not entirely clear when children can become capable of forming multiple attachments
  • Bowlby suggests that majority of babies form attachments to single main carer, before then developing multiple attachments
  • However, there is conflicting evidence due to cultural contexts
  • alternatively having multiple caregivers may be the norm and therefore the child has this from the outset (IZJENDOORN)
  • Therefore it can be suggested multiple stage may vary between ages and cultures, limitation as Schaffer did not account for this\
• What is a limitation with studying the multiple attachment stage?

  • Just because a baby becomes distressed when an individual leaves, this doesn't mean the individual is a true attachment figure
  • Children have playmates and may get distressed when they leave, yet this does not signify attachment
  • Limitation as its difficult to distinguish behaviours shown towards secondary attachment figures and playmates
  • calling into question validity of behaviours identified
• Asocial

  • First few weeks of life
  • Similar behaviours towards humans and inanimate objects
  • Preference for company of familiar people, easily comforted by them
• Indiscriminate

  • 2-7 months
  • Preference for humans over objects
  • Recognise and prefer the company of familiar people
  • Accept cuddles/comfort from anyone
  • No separation anxiety or stranger anxiety
• Specific

  • 7 months
  • Attachment to a specific person, usually primary caregiver
  • Anxiety is directed towards strangers especially if attachment figure is absent
  • Separation anxiety is moderate
  • PC is the one who offers the most interaction and sensitivity to infants signals
  • 65% of cases this is the mother
• Multiple

  • Extends attachment behaviour to multiple attachments
  • People they regularly spend time with
  • Secondary attachments
  • 29% children form secondary attachments within a month of forming a primary attachment
  • By 1 year usually