role of the father

• Field (1978)

  Filmed four-month-old babies in face-to-face interaction with:

  • primary caregiver mothers
  • secondary caregiver fathers
  • primary caregiver fathers

  Primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than the secondary caregiver fathers.

  This behaviour seems to be important in forming an attachment with the infant.

  Suggests fathers can be the more nurturing attachment figure.

  Suggests the key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness and not the gender of the parent.
• Grossman (2002)

  Longitudinal study looking at both parents' behaviour and its relationship to the quality of the children's attachment into their teens.

  Quality of infant attachment with mothers but not fathers was related to children's attachment in adolescence.

  Suggests father attachment is less important.
• Geiger (1996)

  Found that a father's play interactions were more exciting in comparison to a mother's.

  The mother's play interactions were more affectionate and nurturing.

  Suggests the role of the father is as a playmate and not as a sensitive parent who responds to the needs of their children.

  Confirms that the mother takes on a nurturing role.
• Hrdy (1999)

  Found that fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress in comparison to mothers.

   

  Supports the biological explanation that the lack of oestrogen in men means that fathers are not equipped innately to form close attachments with their children.

   

  Evidence that fathers are not able to provide a sensitive and nurturing type of attachment, as they are unable to detect stress in their children.
• Belsky et al. (2009)

  Found that males who reported higher levels of martial intimacy displayed secure father-infant attachments, while as males who reported lower levels of marital intimacy displayed insecure father-infant attachments.

   

  Suggests males can form secure attachments with their children but the strength of the attachment depends on the father and mother relationship.