stages of attachment

• Asocial attachment stage is 0-3 months. In this stage, babies show no preference for any adult.
• Indiscriminate attachment stage is 3-7 months. In the indiscriminate attachment stage, babies begin to prefer familiar people and don’t yet form a strong attachment to one particular person.
• Specific attachment stage is 7-9 months. Babies develop a strong attachment to one person. Stranger and separation anxiety
• Multiple attachment stage is 9 months onwards where children can form attachments with several people dependent on consistent relationships.
• Research support for stages of attachment. Schaffer and Emerson 1964 conducted a longitudinal, naturalistic observation and interviewed 60 mothers of infant children. They found 87% of babies formed attachments with two or more caregivers. This shows evidence for the four stages of attachment.
• Schaffer and Emerson 1964 observed participants in naturalistic settings meaning the results were more likely to have high ecological validity. This is positive as results can generalise how babies and their caregivers behave in everyday life. However, the study may have been prone to observer bias and social desirability bias.
• Schaffer and Emerson found that babies form stronger attachments to caregivers who display more sensitive responsiveness
• Schaffer and Emerson found that fathers were far less likely to be primary attachment figures than mothers. This may be because they generally spend less time with their infants.
• Heermann et al (1994) found evidence that men are less sensitive to infants’ cues than mothers.
• Men do form secure attachments with their children as is the case in single male parent families where men have been shown to be successful primary attachment figures.
• Geiger 1996 suggested fathers have a role to play as secondary attachment figures. Fathers are considered more playful, physically active and generally better at providing challenging situations for their children whereas mothers are more conventional and tend to read stories to their children.
• White and Woollett 1992 suggested it may be seen that a lack of sensitivity from fathers can be seen as positive because it fosters problem solving by placing greater demands on children to effectively communicate