role of the father

schaffer and emerson’s findings

3% fathers primary cg, 27% joint primary, 75% babies attached to father after 18m, majority become attached to mother first

grossmans findings

in longitudinal study found mothers attachment more impactful in future than fathers attachment, but fathers quality of play can impact quality of later attachments, fathers have a more stimulating role rather than emotional development

fields research

primary cg fathers like primary cg mothers spent more time smiling and holding baby than secondary cg fathers, fathers have potential to be more emotional focussed primary cg

strengths of role of the father research

real world application in parenting advice e.g. straight couples can be informed that father can be primary cg, reduces parental anxiety

limitations of role of the father research

difficult to operationalise due to lack of clarity, conflicting evidence, potential bias in research due to preconceived societal expectations of how fathers should behave