Grossman

• Grossman – fathers’ role in play

  In his 2002 study, Grossman explored the role of fathers in attachment, suggesting that fathers contribute to their children’s development primarily through play. Grossman conducted a longitudinal study, following infants’ attachments into their teenage years. The researchers assessed the quality of attachment between the infants and both parents, and then linked these attachments to the children’s later relationships
• They found that the quality of attachment to the father was less important than the attachment to the mother in terms of overall emotional development. However, they also discovered that the quality of the father’s play with the infant was related to the child’s later attachment quality, suggesting that fathers play a unique role in encouraging social and cognitive development through play.