Schaffer and Emerson: Stages of Attachment

• stages of attachment: schaffer and emerson (1961)


  
  

  • indiscriminate attachment
  • attachment begins
  • specific attachment
  • multiple attachment
• Indiscriminate attachment

  birth until approximately the 2-month stage, infants produce similar responses to all objects regardless of whether they are inanimate objects or not. Towards the end of this stage, they may begin to show a preference for social stimuli, and display more content when with other people
• Attachment begins

  between 2 months - 6 months with babies becoming more sociable and able to distinguish people with a preference for their company over inanimate objects.

  They do not display stranger anxiety 
• discriminate attachment


  from 7 months with babies beginning to display separation and stranger anxiety from their main attachment figure through protesting when separated. Feel a sense of relief and joy when reunited with their primary caregiver showing a specific attachment towards them.
• The attachment bond is not always with the person who spends the most time with them but rather with the person who is most sensitive to the child’s needs 
• Multiple attachments


  occurs from around 10 months onwards with the infant displaying multiple attachments after the first attachment has formed with their primary caregiver. 
• Schaffer and Emerson found that 29% of infants had formed secondary attachments within one month of forming their first attachment
• Strengths of Schaffer and Emerson


  • External validity/Ecological validity: Since babies were observed in their own homes (a natural environment) we can assume that the study is high in ecological validity; the findings can be generalised to the real world increasing external validity.
  • Longitudinal studies: The same children were observed and followed up regularly. This eliminates individual differences as a confounding variable and means that results will be more internally valid.
• Weaknesses of Schaffer and Emerson


  • Reliability: accuracy of data collection by parents who were keeping daily diaries whilst being very busy could be questioned. This is likely to show inconsistency.
  • Outdated: The study was carried out in the 1960’s, it is unlikely to reflect the attachments and when they are formed in today’s society.
  • Validity: Mothers are not likely to report negative experiences in their diary write up and interviews.
  • Low population validity: The infants in the study all came from Glasgow and were mostly from working-class families.