Schaffer and Emmerson: case study

• What was the aim of Schafer and Emmerson's study?

  To investigate; the formation of early attachment and the age it was developed, the emotional intensity of it, and to who they were attached to.
• What was the method of their case study?

  They observed 60 Glaswegian babies for 18 months, mostly from skilled, working class families. They were visited once a month for a year and then again at 18 months. Researchers asked the parents to observe their children under different circumstances (alone in a room, alone with a stranger), keep a diary and then report back to researchers.
• What were the results of their study?

  1. 25-32 weeks: 50% of the babies showed separation anxiety towards a particular adult, usually the mother (specific attachment).
  2. Attachment tended to be to the caregiver that was most sensitive to the infants signals and facial expressions (reciprocity)- the primary attachment figure. This was not necessarily the person who spent the most time with the infant.
  3. 40 weeks: nearly 30% had formed multiple attachment (usually formed once the specific attachment had been formed). These were described as secondary attachments.