Role of the father

How often was the father the first sole object of attachment

3% of cases

Schaffer and Emerson found majority of babies attached to mother first

How often was the father join first object of attachment with mother

27% of cases

75% eventually formed secondary attachments with father

By the age of 18 months

When father walked away baby protested, a sign of attachment

what did Grossman et al do

Looked at parents behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children's attachment into their teens

What did they find

Quality of attachment with father was less important for adolescent attachment then the quality of attachment with mother

Fathers may be less important in long term emotional development

What did Grossman find about adolescent attachments

Quality of fathers play with babies was related to quality of adolescent attachments

Suggests fathers have a different role in attachment

More to do ith play and stimulation, less to do with emotional care

Fathers can be primary attachment figures

When fathers take on role of main caregiver they adopt behaviours more typical of mothers

Field (1978)

Filmed 4 months old babies and found primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies

Like Isabella et al

Key to attachment is

Level of responsiveness not gender of parent

One limitation is confusing over research questions

Some psychologists want to understand role of fathers as secondary and others want to find role of fathers as primary attachments

The first see fathers as behaving differently from mothers and the second see fathers take on a maternal role

Psychologists cannot easily answer what is the role of the father

One limitation is conflicting evidence from different methodologies

Grossmann suggests fathers have a distinct role in development involving play and stimulation

McCallum and Golombok found children without a father do not develop differently

The question of wether a father has a distinct role remains unanswered

One strength is using findings in parenting advice

Mothers may feel pressured to stay home and fathers to work

This may not be the best solutions for some families

Parental anxiety about role of fathers can be reduced and parenting decisions made easier