Schaffer's Stages of Attachment

What did Schaffer & Emerson suggest?

Attachment develops in a series of stages during the first year of your life

Where did their experiment take place?

Glasgow

Who did they conduct their study on?

60 babies - 31 male, 29 female

How often did they visit?

Every month for the first year, then again at 18 months

How was data collected?

Mothers were asked about the kind of behaviour babies showed in 7 everyday separations

What was the study designed to measure?

Stranger and separation anxiety

Name the first stage and when it occurs

Asocial - 0-6 weeks

What happens in the asocial stage?

Infants show similar responses to objects and people

Name the second stage and when it occurs

Indiscriminate stage - 6 weeks-6 months

What happens in the indiscriminate stage?

• Can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar

• Accept comfort from anyone

• No stranger/separation anxiety

Name the 3rd stage and when it occurs

Discriminate stage - 7 months onwards

What happens in the discriminate stage?

• infants formed bond with primary caregiver

• display stranger and separation anxiety

What percentage of infants form a primary attachment to their mother?

65%

Name the 4th stage of attachment and when it occurs

Multiple attachment - 9 months onwards

What happens in the multiple attachment stage?

• After 1 month - 29% developed multiple

• After 6 months - 78% developed multiple

• Demonstrate separation anxiety

Which stage is there a problem studying?

Asocial

Why is there problems studying asocial?

• Very young babies are hard to study

• Do not show clear emotions

• Have poor coordination

• Researchers do not actually know how babies are feeling

What do researchers have to do in the asocial stage and what effect does this have on the study?

Have to make conclusions from limited evidence - reduces validity of the theory

Limitation of the study

Conflicting evidence

What is there conflicting evidence about?

How babies develop multiple attachments

Who is there conflicting evidence between?

Bowlby (1969) and Van IJzendoorn (1993)

What did Bowlby suggest?

Babies form one main attachment before forming multiple

What did Van IJzendoorn suggest?

Infants can form several attachments at the same time

Where are Van IJzendoorn’s beliefs more common?

Collectivist cultures

Where are Schaffer and Emerson’s findings limited to?

Western, individualistic cultures

Limitation of the methodology of S&E

Relies on mother’s self-report technique

Why’s the self-report technique a limitation?

• biased or inaccurate

• forgetting details or interpreting behaviour differently

• Reduce validity and reliability