Stages of attachment

• Asocial/Pre-attachment

  (birth to 3 months)

  • similar responses to all objects, whether they are animate or inanimate
  • more content when they are with people
• Indiscriminate attachment

  (3 months to 6 months)

  • discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people, smiling more at known people
• Discriminate attachment

  (7 months onwards)

  • begin to develop specific attachments to one person, their primary caregiver. This is shown through separation anxiety and joy on reunion
• Multiple Attachment

  (10 months onwards)

  • the infant also develops a wider circle of multiple attachments
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

  • A longitudinal study was conducted using 60 infants from mainly working-class homes in Glasgow
  • They observed that intensely attached infants had mothers who responded quickly and sensitively to their signals and who offered their child the most interaction.
• Strength (stages of attachment)

  Validity of the findings– the study has mundane realism this is because the study was carried out in the families’ own homes and most of the observation was actually done by parents
• Limitation (stages of attachment)

  Biased sample – because they used a small sample of 60 babies and their carers from the same district and social class.