The role of the father

• What does early attachment research focus on?

  Mother-infant interaction
• What does early research view the father as?

  Less of a caregiver, more of a playmate
• What are mothers perceived as in early research?

  Nurturing
• What type of study was Grossman's into the role of the father?

  Longitudinal
• What was the aim of Grossman's study?

  Find out how important fathers are in child development and do they have a distinct role
• How many families were studied in Grossman's research?

  44
• What was compared in Grossman's study?

  The role of fathers' and mothers' contribution to their children's attachment experiences
• At what ages was the role of fathers' and mothers' contribution to their children's attachment experiences compared?

  6, 10, 16 years old
• What did Grossman look at?

  Both parents' behaviour and it's relationship to the quality of children's attachment experience
• What did Grossman find?

  Quality of infant attachment with mothers (not fathers) is related to attachments in adolescence
• What did Grossman conclude?

  Father attachment less important
• What did Grossman find about the role of the father in attachment?

  Quality of fathers play with infant is related to the quality of adolescent attachments
• What does Grossman's research suggest about the role of the father?

  Fathers play a different role in attachment (Play and stimulation)
• Who provided evidence that fathers can take on a primary care giver role?

  Field
• What did primary caregiver fathers do more compared to secondary caregiver fathers in Field's study?


  Smiling, imitating and holding
• How old were the babies recorded in Field's study?

  4 months old
• Who were babies filmed in face-to-face interactions with in Field's study?

  Primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers
• What did Field suggest with her findings?

  Fathers have the potential to be the more emotion-focused primary attachment figure