schaffer's stages

• Schaffer and Emerson conducted research into stages of attachment
• Schaffer and Emerson aim:

  • investigate age at which children develop their emotional intensity and whom the intensity is directed at
• Schaffer and Emerson procedure:

  • sample: 60 babies from glasgow (31 male, 29 female) - 5-23 weeks
  • mothers and babies at home every month for first year, once again at 18 months
  • interviewed mothers, asked questions about protest behaviour babies showed in everyday seperations - stranger anxiety and seperation anxiety
• Schaffer and Emerson findings:

  • 25 - 32 weeks: 50% of infants showed seperation anxiety - attachment towards adults who were most responsive
  • 40 weeks: 80% had specific attachment and 30% started to form multiple attachments
• Schaffer and Emerson conclusion:

  • attachment develops through a series of stages across first year
• Schaffer's series of stages:

  • asocial stage
  • indiscriminate stage
  • specific attachment
  • multiple attachment
• Asocial stage:

  • first few weeks
  • recognise and form bonds
  • behave in similar way to objects and humans
  • happier in presence of other humans
• Indiscriminate stage:

  • 2 -7 months
  • comfort from anyone
  • preference for people and recognise familiar people
• Specific attachment:

  • from 7 months
  • display anxiety towards strangers
  • attachment towards mother (65% of cases)
• Multiple attachment:

  • attachment expands to other familiar adults
  • by 1 year majority form secondary attachment
  • 29% formed within month of specific attachment
• EVALUATION: high external validity

  • conducted using ordinary activities and most observations recorded by parents at home
  • behaviour is more likely to be natural, not affected by others or alien environment
  • increases validity, findings can be applied to kids from same demographic
• EVALUATION: poor evidence for asocial stage

  • babies are immobile and lack coordination - anxiety for babies <2 months old can be subtle and difficult to observe
  • reports on signs of anxiety and attachment may be based of innacurate observations
  • kids feelings and cognitions may be social, flawed methods: asocial
• EVALUATION: real life application to day care

  • day care is likely to be straightforward in asocial and indiscriminate- can be comforted by non-familiar adults
  • babies in specific stage may be more problematic
  • parents and day care providers can be informed and implement programmes based on Schaffer's research
• EVALUATION: generalisability - sample is limited

  • only considered 60 babies from working class families in Glasgow
  • all families were from same socio demographic, doesnt consider cultural differences - collectivist cultures show that multiple attachments form from early age (van ijzendoorn)
  • difficult to generalise across all social and cultural contexts