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Psychology
Attachment
Role of the father
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Created by
Nicola
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Cards (9)
What did Schaffer and Emerson discover about the role of the father?
Most babies form a
primary
attachment to their
mothers
3
% of cases the father was the
first
sole object of attachment
But...
75%
of babies attached to the
father
by
18
months and didn't want to be
separated
Shows fathers do play a role in attachment but play a
secondary
role
Who found that fathers and mothers have different roles in attachment?
Grossmann
Describe Grossmann's research
Longitudinal study
Looked at parents' behaviour and its
relationship
to the
quality
of children's attachments into their teens
Found that quality of attachment with
mothers
related to attachment in
adolescence
but not for
fathers
Mothers:
nurturing
Fathers:
playing
Who found that fathers can be primary caregivers?
Field
Describe Field's research
Primary
caregiver fathers performed more
nurturing
behaviours such as
smiling
and imitating
Suggests that fathers can be
nurturing
The key to attachment is
responsiveness
not
sex
What is a biological factor that explains the role of the father?
Testosterone
= more
playful
Oestrogen
= more
nurturing
Give one strength of research into the role of the father
Controlled observations /
longitudinal
studies
HOWEVER...
Demand characteristics
in parents - reduces
internal
validity
Give two weaknesses of research into the role of the father
Socially sensitive
Impacting
same-sex
couples or
single
fathers
Gender
bias
Lack of research into
same-sex
couples - the attachment bond could be a lot
different
in these situations
What does early research suggest about the role of the father?
The focus was on
mother
and infant attachment
Mothers were seen as more
nurturing
, having a sensitive
responsiveness
Fathers were seen as
less
of a caregiver
This was originally believed to be due to
biological
differences - e.g. hormones