schaffers stages of attachment

• what does stages of attachment mean ?

  -the idea that attachment develops in a sequence of stages with different behaviour linked to specific ages
• what does multiple attachments mean ?

   the formation of attachment bonds with many carers. This usually develops after they have formed one main (primary) attachment
• what did emmerson and shaffer base their stages on ?

  they did a longtidunal study of 60 middle class famalies from glasgow and researchers would ask questions to the mother about the type of reaction the baby gave when the mother had to leave them so seperation anxiety and the researcher investigated stranger anxiety
• what did the findings show from their experiment ?

  most infants showed seperation anxiety at around 6-8 months and then showed stranger anxiety a month later

  the primary caregiver tended to be the person who showed the most caregiver sensitivity which was 65% of the time the mother

  At 18 months, 87% had at least two attachments and 31% had multiple attachments (more than five)
• when is the asocial stage ?

  0-6 weeks
• what is the asocial stage ?

  Before six weeks, infants respond similarly to humans and objects. However, they appear to be happier in the presence of other humans and prefer them than being alone and also showed a preference for familiar people and are more easily comforted by them
• when is the indiscriminate stage ?

  6 weeks to 7 months
• what is the indiscriminate stage ?

  From 6 weeks they prefer people rather than objects and recognise and prefer familiar adults. They accept cuddles and comfort from any adult and do not show separation distress or stranger anxiety.
• when is the discriminate attachment stage ?

  Infants begin to show stranger anxiety and separation distress when separated from one particular adult – the primary attachment figure who is normally the person who offers the most interaction and caregiver sensitivity (mother 65% of the time )
• what is the multiple attachment stage ?

  The infant now shows attachment behaviour to multiple attachments with other adults (or siblings). These are referred to as secondary attachments.
• what % of children form their secondary attachment after a month from forming their primary specific ?

  29% and by 1 years old most babies tended to form multiple attachments
• what is one strength of shaffer and emersons research ?

  Point: One strength of Schaffer and Emerson's research is its good external validity.

  Evidence: Most observations were made by parents during ordinary activities, minimising potential distractions or anxiety in the babies.

  Explain: This suggests that the participants likely behaved naturally under observation.

  Link: Therefore, this indicates that the findings are likely applicable to real-world settings.
• whats the counter point to the strength of the exp having good external validity ?

  Point: However, there are issues with the mothers acting as observers, raising concerns about objectivity and accuracy.

  Evidence: Mothers may have been biassed in what they noticed or reported, potentially affecting the reliability of the data.

  Explain: For instance, they might not have noticed their baby showing signs of anxiety

  Link: Thus, this means that the recorded behaviour may not accurately reflect the babies' actual experiences.
• whats another limitation of shaffer and emersons research ?

  P: A limitation if the validity of the measures they set to asses attachment in the asocial stage

  E:Babies tend to be immobile and lack coordination and so they may show subtle signs of anxiety which are hard to detect for mothers to report back

  E:This suggests that the asocial behaviour observed may be due to methodological limitations rather than true lack of social interaction

  L:Hence, this casts doubt on the validity of conclusions drawn from observations in the asocial stage as the mothers may have missed the social signs.
• whats a strength of schaffers and emersons research ?

  Point: Another strength is the practical application of Schaffer and Emerson's stages in day care settings.

  Evidence: Their research suggests that babies may experience difficulties during the specific attachment stage when starting daycare with an unfamiliar adult.

  Explain: This implies that parents can use the stages to plan day care arrangements effectively i.e. during asocial and indiscriminate stages.

  Link: Therefore, this highlights the utility of Schaffer and Emerson's stages in informing child care decisions.
• what is another limitation of schaffer and emersons study ?

  Though they looked at a large sample , the sample consisted of people from glasgow which had unique aspects in terms of it being a 1960 working class sample.Comparing it to collectivist cultures where multiple attachments at an early age is the norm it shows a lack of generalisbility to multiple cultures.