Stages of Attachment

• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) Procedure:

  • Schaffer and Emerson created a stage sequence by which attachments develop.
  • Studied 31 male and 29 female babies from Glasgow.
  • Babies and their mothers were all studied in their own homes and visited monthly for 18 months.
  • Interactions with their carers were analysed to establish when infants began to display separation anxiety.
  • Parents were interviewed every day about experiences such as the infant being left alone in a room or being walked past whilst being in their crib.

   
• Schaffer and Emerson: Findings:

  • Attachments were more likely to form with carers who were sensitive to the baby’s signals, as opposed to the person they spent more time with.
  • By 10 months old, the babies had several attachments.
  • It was observed that the mother was the main attachment figure for most of the babies, but in some cases, it was the father.
  • This suggests that being sensitive and responsive is more instrumental in attachment development than physical care.
  • This was termed ‘sensitive responsiveness’.
  • This research led to the formulation of four distinct stages of developmental progress that characterise infants’ attachments.
• Schaffer and Emerson: Strengths:

  • Longitudinal study
  • Naturalistic study.
  • Sample strength as there was a large sample, and n even mix of genders.
• Schaffer and Emerson: Weaknesses:

  • Culture bound to Scotland.
  • Child of its time – lacks temporal validity.
  • Only mothers were studies – very little told about the role of the father.
  • Individual differences in infants.
  • Research involves subjective interpretations.
• • Stage 1: 0-6 weeks: Asocial stage:
  • Infant shows similar responses to objects and people, although, they display a preference for faces and eyes.
  • Stage 3: 6 weeks – 6 months: Indiscriminate Attachment:
  • An infant shows a preference for human company over non-human company.
  • They have the ability to distinguish between different people, but are comforted by anyone.

   

  • Stage 3: 7 – 12 months: Discriminant Attachment:
  • An infant shows a preference for one caregiver, displaying separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
  • The infant looks to a specific person for security, comfort, and protection.
  • Stage 4: 1 year +: Multiple Attachments:
  • Attachment behaviours are now displayed towards several different people.
• Schaffer and Emerson: Evaluation (1):

  • Strength:           
  • A strength of the study is that it was carried out longitudinally.
  • Schaffer and Emerson’s study followed the same children with their mothers for 18 months.
  • However, the sample can be criticised as all the families studied were from the same area and social class.
• Schaffer and Emerson: Evaluation (2):

  • Asocial stage is difficult to study.
  • For example, young babies in this stage have poor coordination and are generally immobile.
  • Therefore, it is difficult to make judgements about the infants based on observations of their behaviour.
  • This is a weakness because observations cannot be solely relied on.