Schaffer and Emerson

• study involved 60 babies (31 boys, 29 girls) from Glasglow and working class background
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) aimed to investigate the formation of early attachments in particular what age they developed.
• this was a longitudinal study, so the babies were visited at home every month for the first year and again at 18 months
• researchers asked mother's about the kind of protest showed by their children in situations. this was self reported.
• they measured stranger anxiety and separation anxiety
• between 25-32 weeks of age 50% of infants had formed an attachment with a primary caregiver (specific attachment). this tended to be the caregiver that was most interactive and sensitive to signals (reciprocity)
• by the age of 40 weeks 80% had formed a specific attachment and 30% had multiple attachments