Schaffer's stages of attachment

• Describe how there is a problem measuring multiple attachments in Schaffer and Emerson


  • Baby getting distressed when a individual leaves the room doesn't mean that the individual is a true attachment figure.
• Describe how problems studying the Asocial stage is a weakness for Schaffer and Emerson?

  • Too young, have poor co-ordination and are generally much mobile
  • difficult to make judgements based on their behaviour
• How is Schaffer and Emerson's study being longditutional a strength?

  • same children followed up and observed regularly
  • quicker alternative would have been to observe different children at each stage (cross-sectional design)
  • longditutional studies have no confounding variable of individual differences between the particpants
  • articipants increases the internal validity
• Name a strength of shatter and Emersons study?

  Longitudinal study
• Name 2 weaknesses of shatter and Emersons study

  - Problem studying the Asocial stage

  - conflicting evidence for multiple attachment
• What are multiple attachments?

  - start to show attachment to more than one adult(secondary attachments)

  - form quite quickly after specific attachment (29% had one within one month)

  - by age 1 most infants and multiple attachments
• When does multiple attachments take place?

  From 10 months
• Who is the primary attachment figure?


  a person who offers the most interactions and responds to signals the most (reciprocity and interaction synchrony)

  - usually the mother
• What is specific attachment?

  - Anxiety towards strangers

  -Seperation anxiety

  - specific attachment = primary attachment figure
• When does specific attachment take place?

  From 7 months
• What is indiscriminate attachment?

  • Display more observational behaviour
  • preference to people than objects
  • recognise and prefer adults
  • No separation or stranger anxiety
• When does indiscriminate attachment take place?

  2-7 months
• What is the asocial stage?

  • Baby's behaviour towards objects and humans are similar
  • show preference to familiar adults
  • is happier in the presence of other humans
• When does the asocial stage take place?

  First few weeks
• What are the stages of attachment?

  • Asocial stage
  • indiscriminate attachment
  • specific attachment
  • multiple attachments
• What were the findings from Schaffer and Emerson?

  • Between 25 and 32 weeks: 50% of babies had specific attachment
  • buy 40 weeks: 80.% had specific attachment and 30.% display multiple attachments
• what was Schaffer and Emerson's procedure?

  • Asked mothers questions about the kind of protest their baby showed in seven everyday separation; this measured the infants attachment.
  • measured stranger anxiety separations
• Where were the babies from?

  Working class families from Glasgow
• How many babies were in Schaffer and Emerson's study?

  60 babies (31 male and 29 female)
• What was Schaffer and Emerson's aim?

  To investigate the formation of early attachment

  • the age at which they developed their emotional intensity and to whom they are directed.
• When was Schaffer and Emersons study?

  1964