role of the father

• The role of the father in child development is more complicated than it sounds
• Some researchers attempting to answer questions about the role of fathers are actually more concerned with understanding fathers as secondary attachment figures rather than primary attachment figures
• Longitudinal studies have suggested that fathers as secondary attachment figures have an important and distinct role in their children's development, involving play and stimulation
• If fathers have a distinctive and important role, we would expect children in single-mother and lesbian-parent families to develop differently than children in heterosexual families, but research has not consistently shown this
• When present, fathers tend to adopt a distinctive role, but families can accommodate the role played by fathers
• Research into the role of the father

  • Can be used to offer advice to parents
  • Can reduce parental anxiety about the role of fathers
• Preconceptions about how fathers do or should behave can be created by stereotypical accounts and images of parenting roles and behavior, which may cause observer bias in the studies
• Observational research on the differences between mothers and fathers as attachment figures

  1. Name the behavioral cues to record parental behavior

  2. Identify and explain two sources of bias you think about in relation to this research
• When a student is confused about the role of the father in attachment

  Research has shown that mothers and fathers may play different roles, and one difference is that fathers tend to be more involved in play
• Research has limitations in understanding the role of the father in attachment
• Further research is needed to better understand the role of the father in child development