stages of attachment

• schaffer + emerson - procedure:

  • 60 babies from glasgow, most WC families. researchers visited babies + mothers at home every month for a year and again at 18 months
  • separation anxiety measured by asking mothers about their chldren's behv during everyday seperation
  • stranger anxiety was measure by asking mothers questions about their child's anxiety response to unfamiliar adults
• s+e findings:

  • babies developed attachments through sequence fo stages, from asocial through specific to multiple attachments
  • the specific attachment tended to be to the person who was most interactive + sensitive to babies' signals + facial expressions.
  • this wasnt necessarily the person the baby spent most time with
• stages of attachment

  1. asocial stage (first few weeks)
  2. indescriminate attachment (2-7 months)
  3. specific attachment (around 7 months)
  4. multiple attachment (8+ years)
• asocial stage

  baby's behaviour towards ppl and inanimate objects is similar; some preferences for familiar ppl.

  babies are also happier in other people's presence
• indescriminate attachment

  now display observable social behaviour with a people preference than objects. recognise + prefer familiar people.

  babies dont show stranger or seperation anxiety
• specific attachment

  stranger + seperation anxiety when seperated from one particular person. baby is said to have formed specific attachment with primary attachment figure.

  this is in most cases the person who have most interaction + responses to the baby's signals (65% it is the mother)
• multiple attachment

  secondary attachment with other adults form shortly after in schaffer + emerson, 29% of babies had secondary attachments within a month of forming a primary attachment