the development of attachment

attachment - stages of attachment

what are the stages of attachment?

1. asocial attachment

2. indiscriminate attachment

3. discriminate attachment

4. multiple attachments

what is asocial attachment?

• birth - 2 months

• infants produce similar responses to all objects

• end - preference for social stimuli

what are the stages of attachment?

1. asocial attachment

2. indiscriminate attachment

3. discriminate attachment

4. multiple attachments

what is asocial attachment?

• birth - 2 months

• infants produce similar responses to all objects

• end - preference for social stimuli

what is indiscriminate attachment?

• around 4 months

• infants become more social & prefer human company

• can distinguish between familiar & unfamiliar people

• no stranger anxiety

what is discriminate attachment?

• 7 months

• begins to show separation anxiety & joy at reunion

• forms attachment to primary attachment figure

what is multiple attachments?

• after the main attachment is formed, the infant develops a wider circle of attachments

• within 1 month of first attachment, 29% of infants developed multiple secondary attachments

• within 6 months, it rose to 78%

what percentage of infants had their mother as their primary attachment figure?

65%

what did lamb say about the role of the father?

• there is little relationship between father accessibility & infant-father attachment

what did heerman et al say about the role of the father?

men are less sensitive to infant cues than mothers

how does frodi et al criticise heerman et al?

• showed videotapes of crying infants to men and women

• found no difference in the physiological responses of men & women

what does geiger say about the role of the father?

• fathers are exciting playmates whereas mothers are conventional

why can the lack of sensitivity from fathers be argued as positive?

it fosters problem-solving abilities

who investigated the stages of attachment?

schaffer & emerson

what was schaffer & emerson’s procedure?

• observed 60 infants from mostly working class homes in glasgow

• studied until the infants were 1

• mothers visited every 4 weeks

• mothers reported infants response to separation in everyday situations

• measured stranger anxiety using interviewer/visitor

what were schaffer & emerson’s findings?

• developed the stages of attachment

• primary attachments were not always formed with who the infant spent the most time with - quality > quantity

what is stranger anxiety?

the distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar

what is separation anxiety?

the distress shown by an infant when separated from their caregiver

what is a primary attachment figure?

the person who has formed the closest bond with a child

what are the weaknesses of research into the development of attachment?

• unreliable data - based on mother’s reports - bias

• problems with stage models - culture - judging families

• out of date - biased sample - not generalisable

• cultural variations - individualist vs collective

what are the strengths of the role of the father?

• important economic implications e.g., fathers can take on PAF so mums can go back to work

what are the weaknesses of the role of the father?

• evidence undermining the idea that fathers have distinct roles

• research fails to provide a clear answer about fathers and primary attachments

• social biases prevent objective observation - sexism - assumptions that mother is PAF