the role of the father

• often neglected in studies; not just the baby’s bio father, it is the closest male caregiver
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that the majority of babies - first became attached to their mother at around 7 months
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that in 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that in 27% of cases, father was the joint first object of attachment with the mother 

  • most go on to become important attachment figures
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that 75% of babies studied formed an attachment by the age of 18 months
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) were determined by the fact that babies protested when their fathers walked away
• Grossmann et al 2002 carried out a longitudinal study where babies were studied until their teen years
• Grossmann found that quality of a baby’s attachment w/ mothers but not fathers was related to attachment in adolescence

  • suggests that attachment to fathers is less important than to mothers
• Grossmann found that the quality of father’s play w/ babies was related to the quality of adolescent attachment

  • suggests that fathers have a different role from mothers
  • one that is to do more w/ play and stimulation and less to do w/ emotional development
• evidence for fathers being seen as primary attachment figures:

  when fathers do take on the role of primary caregiver, they are able to adopt the emotional role more typically associated with the mothers
• evidence for fathers being seen as primary attachment figures:

  Tiffany Field (1978) filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interaction w/ primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers
• evidence for fathers being seen as primary attachment figures:

  both types of primary caregivers spend more time smiling, imitating and holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers 

  • fathers do have the potential to be more emotion focused primary attachment figures
• evidence for fathers being seen as primary attachment figures:

  the key to this relationship is the level of responsiveness, not the gender of the parent