Schaffer and Emerson eval

• A strength of the study that led to the stages of attachment is that it is high in ecological validity. The data was collected in the homes of the participants which means that the participants were likely to behave as they normally would rather than unnatural behaviours.

  If this research was to be conducted in laboratory settings, infants may have not shown the same dehaviours due to the unusual environment. This is a strength because we can trust that the data collected was accurate.
• What is a limitation of the methodology used in the study?

  It was prone to subjectivity and bias.
• What is 'observer bias' in the context of this study?

  It is when the researcher sees what they want to see or interprets behavior differently than another observer.
• How might subjectivity in observations affect the data collected in the study?

  It may lead to inaccurate data being collected.
• What is 'social desirability bias' as mentioned in the study?


  It is when mothers may lie about their child's behavior to be seen in a positive light.
• Why is social desirability bias considered a limitation in the study?

  It might mean the data is not trustworthy and lacking in validity.
• What is a limitation of Schaffer and Emerson's study regarding temporal validity?


  It may not apply to infants living in the present day due to changes in family structures.
• What was the family structure like during the time of Schaffer and Emerson's study?

  There were few stay-at-home fathers and many stay-at-home mothers.
• Why is the relevance of childcare arrangements significant in the context of Schaffer and Emerson's findings?

  Because the findings may not apply to modern infants who have different childcare arrangements.
• How might the employment of nannies from birth affect infant attachment according to the study's limitations?

  Infants may need to form multiple attachments from very early on.
• What does the limitation regarding multiple attachments imply about the stages proposed by Schaffer and Emerson?

  We cannot assume that children in all arrangements will go through the same 4 stages at the same time as Schaffer and Emerson's participants.
• A final limitation of this theory is that it may suffer with culture bias as different societies have different childrearing practices. For this reason it cannot be assumed that children in every culture and every country in the world will move through these four stages in the same way as Schaffer and Emerson's participants. For example, Van Ijzendoorn (1993) found that those from collectivist cultures developed multiple attachments much earlier than this theory suggests due to their emphasis on being part of a group. This is limitation because the theory may lack generalisability.