Stages of Attachment

Stages of Attachment:
Schaffer and Emerson’s study
 
Sample- 60 working class mums and babies from glasgow
Method- mums kept a diary and were interviewed about babies attachment behaviours (longitudinal study)
Eg. Separation anxiety
Findings- found babies formed primary attachment around 6-7 months and found 4 clear stages babies go through when developing attachments
 
Asocial 0-8weeks  = babies don’t distinguish between humans and objects, they have no stranger/separation anxiety
 
Indiscriminate 2-7 months = shows a preference for people, but doesn’t show stranger/separation anxiety
 
Specific 7-12 months = babies attach to a primary caregiver, stranger/separation anxiety develops
 
Multiple 1yr + = babies start to form secondary attachments, stranger and separation anxiety is present
 
AO3:
 
Methodology issues - social desirability bias:

    • Evidence comes from self-reported diaries and interviews, this means the mothers may have lied to fit with the pressures of social norms and to seem impressive to others

    • The false and exaggerated evidence therefore is not accurate and lowers the validity

  • Furthermore, sample is both culturally and gender bias
    This is because there is only ppts from scotland and there is only women taking part = beta bias
     
    Difficult to assess the asocial stage:
    We rely on inferences - as the baby cant directly communicate about their emotions during interactions
    Eg. We don’t know if a baby’s movements and expressions are deliberate
    This reduces the validity of caregiver and infant research
     
    Difficulty assessing how multiple attachments are developed:

    • Bowlby: shows how children have playmates and may be upset when they leave, however this does not make a playmate has formed an attachment to your baby.

  • Therefore difficultly distinguishing forming multiple attachments and having playmates
     
    Socially Sensitive and Economic Issues:

    • Women who work may feel pressured to stay at home so their babies have a good attached relationships

    • It also makes dad feel insignificant to the babies development

  • 75% of babies attach to mums first during the specific stage and then dads later during the multiple stage

    • This creates an implication on the economy as many women and men may choose not to return to work as they want to be home with the baby