role of father

• Explain attachment to fathers

  - fathers less likely to be the baby's first attachment.

  - Schaffer and Emerson found 3% cases where the father was the sole attachment at 7 months.

  - in 27% of cases, the father was the first joint attachment with the mother.

  - most fathers later become important attachments.

  75% of babies formed attachment with fathers by 18 months (shown through separation anxiety)
• The Role of the Father

  Grossman et al. (2002): Longitudinal study on parents' behaviour and children's attachment into teens

  - quality of infant attachment with mothers linked to adolescent attachment, while father attachment seemed less crucia

  -fathers' play with infants played a distinct role, emphasising play and stimulation rather than nurturing.
• Fathers and Primary Caregivers

  - evidence suggests fathers, as primary caregivers, adopt nurturing behaviors akin to mothers.

  Field (1978): Filmed 4-month-olds with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers, and primary caregiver fathers.

  - primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, smiled, imitated, and held infants more than secondary caregiver fathers.

  - nurturing behavior is crucial for attachment, showcasing fathers' capacity to be nurturing attachment figures.

  - attachment relationship relies on responsiveness, not the parent's gender.
• schaffers study about fathers 


  Schaffer found that initially babies become attached to their mother (7 months) and

  then after this form secondary attachments with others such as the father.

  75% of babies had an attachment with their father by 18 months of age, they showed separation anxiety.
• lambs study of fathers 


  Lamb indicated that between the ages of 15-24 months, they will show a preference toward their father

  this suggests that the father may become the primary caregiver
• grossmans study of fathers 


  Grossman conducted a longitudinal study

  found a direct correlation between the quality of fathers play with infants and the quality of adolescent attachments

  This suggests that the father may be more about play and stimulation whereas the mother is more about nurturing.
• confusion research question

  P: limitation - lack of clarity over question being asked

  E: some researchers are concerned with researching the father as a secondary attachment figure

  E: other researchers concerned with researching fathers as behaving differently to mothers and having a more distinct role

  L: therefore difficult to answer role of the father
• conflicting evidence

  P: limitation - findings vary based on the methodology used

  E: Some studies see father as secondary attachment figure and link father to play and stimulation

  E: But if fathers had a distinctive role then children in same-sex families would turn out different than those in heterosexual households but they arent

  L: therefore unsure whether fathers have distinctive role
• counterpoint

  P: strength - lines of research may not be in conflict

  E: fathers may play a distinctive role in play and stimulation

  E: parents in same-sex households may accommodate by adopting the father's distinctive role

  L: therefore fathers do have distinctive roles but same-sex families adapt to not having a father
• real-world application

  P: strength - real-world application

  E: mothers may feel pressured by society to stay at home as fathers may feel pressured to go to work

  E: research can inform parents that fathers are capable of becoming primary attachment figures and that same-sex couples' children will not be affected without the presence of a father

  L: therefore parental anxiety reduced