Stages of attachment

• Who developed the 4 stages of attachment?

  Schaffer and Emerson (1964) studied 60 Glasgow babies from working class backgrounds. They visited them every month for the first year and then again at 18 months. They measured the babies’ attachment by interviewing the mother about separation and stranger anxiety. From this they developed the four stages of attachment. 
• what is stage 1 of attachment?

  Stage 1 occurs from 0-2 months and is called the Asocial stage. In this stage, the baby is recognising and bonding with its caregiver. It responds to objects and humans in a similar manner. 
• what is stage 2 of attachment?

  Stage 2 occurs from 2-7 months and is the indiscriminate attachment stage. Babies will display a preference towards people compared to inanimate objects. They recognise and prefer familiar humans and usually accept cuddles and comfort from any adult . They do not usually show separation anxiety or stranger anxiety. 
• what is stage 3 of attachment?

  Stage 3 occurs from 7-9 months and is the specific attachment stage, where the majority of infants start to display stranger anxiety and separation anxiety. They have formed a specific attachment to the person who best responds to the infants needs and signals.
• what is stage 4 of attachment?

  Finally, the last stage is the multiple attachments stage. This is when infants start to have secondary attachments with people they see on a regular basis. 29% of infants had a secondary attachment within a month of forming a specific attachment. By the age of one year the majority of infants have formed multiple attachments.
• What are the strengths of the stages of attachment?

  high external validity

  practical applications
• elaborate on high external validity as a strength of the stages of attachments?

  Due to its observational nature, the study has a high degree of external validity. Most of the observations were made by parents during ordinary activities meaning the infants behaviour was less likely to be influenced by extraneous variables e.g. an unfamiliar researcher which strengthens the validity of the research. 
• elaborate on practical applications as a strength of the stages of attachment?

  Despite its criticisms, Schaffer and Emerson’s research has practical applications in the real world. For example children in the specific stage of attachment will be more problematic in day care, and it provides insight into how long maternity leave should be, improving the general welfare of society. 
• what are the weaknesses of the stages of attachment?

  demand characteristics and observational bias

  difficult to study

  contradicting evidence

  small sample size

  cultural bias
• elaborate on demand characteristics as a weakness for the stages of attachment?

  However, the use of an observational study can allows demand characteristics and observational bias to be present. The use of a diary for mothers to record their children’s behaviours can be seen as unreliable as mothers are unlikely to be objective, especially if it is a reporting not deemed socially desirable. 
• elaborate on difficult to study as a weakness for the stages of attachment?

  Another criticism of Schaffer and Emerson’s theory of the stages of attachment is that the asocial stage is difficult to study, as young babies in this stage have poor co-ordination and are generally immobile. Therefore it is very difficult to make any judgements about the infants based on observations of their behaviour i.e. if they display behaviours of anxiety it is difficult to tell, so any results are unreliable and difficult to draw conclusions from. 
• elaborate on contradicting evidence as a weakness for the stages of attachment?

  Moreover, Carpenter (1975) found that two week old infants looked at faces for longer when it was accompanied with the mother’s voice rather than an unfamiliar one. This suggests that infants are attached to their mothers at an earlier age than Schaffer and Emerson suggested and so the stages are not a completely valid explanation of attachment
• elaborate on limited sample size as a weakness for the stages of attachment?

  owever, the results could be limited in their use due to the small sample size. In order to provide a comprehensive explanation for attachment, a more diverse sample was needed e.g. social status, culture, and historical context to ensure the results can be generalised to society as a whole rather than 1960s working class Glaswegian children, for example in this time period it is more commonly seen that men stay at home whilst women go to work. 
• elaborate on cultural bias as a weakness for the stages of attachment?

  Additionally, Van Ijzendoorn found that culture plays a part in how and when we form attachments and with whom. In many non western societies, babies have multiple carers, as this is the norm and so multiple attachments are formed earlier. Again, this suggests his stages may not be a valid explanation of attachment across different societies and so lacks generalisability.