2. stages of attachment

• what was the aim of schaffers study?

  to investigate the formation of infant-adult attachments
• what was schaffers procedure?

  60 babies - whose were 31 male and 21 female from working class families in Glasgow

  
  

  measured babys attachment by asking mothers questions on strangers anxiety

  
  

  researcher visited babies and mothers in own home every month for a year
• what were schaffers findings?

  by 40 weeks 80 percent had formed a specific attachment

  30 percent had started to form multiple attachments

  50 percent at around 25-32 weeks showed separation anxiety

  he found 4 stages of attachment
• what are the 4 stages of attachment?

  asocial 0-6 weeks

  indiscriminate 2-7 months

  specific after 7 months

  multiple 1 year onwards
• what is asocial attachment

  - happier in the presence of humans than when being alone

  - they recognise specific faces and smile more

  - prefer faces to non faces
• what is indiscriminate attachment?

  - behaviour between humans and non humans objects is similair
• what is specifc attachment?

  - forming secondary attachments with familiar adults like father/grandparents

  
  

  - show separation/stranger anxiety

  
  

  - use familiar adults as secure bases
• what is multiple attachments?

  - accepting comfort from any adult

  - preference for people rather an objects
• evaluation - strengths

  - Good internal validity = reduction of confounding variables,

  + observations were done by parents so babies behaviour was unlikely to be affected by the presence of others/ children were reviewed regularly

  
  

  - practical application e.g in daycare may avoid putting children in daycare at specific stages
• evaluation - weaknesses

  - parents may not behave naturally if the researcher was present

  
  

  - mothers are subjective, may miss important details

  
  

  - natural experiment so variables cannot be controlled

  
  

  - limited sample of 60 babies from one district and social class = generalisation is difficult so also lacks external validity

  
  

  - lacks temporal validity as conducted in 1960 when laws were different e.g now fathers can go on paternal leave

  
  

  - socially sensitive - families may be judged if their childs attachment doesn't follow the stages