Stages of Attachment Identified by Schaffer (AQA AS Psychology)

Stages of attachment identified by Schaffer

• Attachment relationships exist in many forms

  • Between the baby and their caregivers/parents

  • Between the baby and other family members

  • Between the baby and friends of the family

  • Even between the baby and the family pets

• Schaffer & Emerson (1964) studied attachment in infants and caregivers in Glasgow, Scotland

• From the results of their study, they concluded that there are four stages of attachment

• Procedure

  • Schaffer & Emerson carried out an observational study of 60 infants (ranging from 5 to 23 weeks of age) and their mothers in Glasgow, Scotland

    • the families were mainly of working-class status

  • The mothers were visited every four weeks for the first year of the baby's life and again at 18 months of age

  • During these visits, the mothers were asked questions regarding their infant's reactions to separation in seven everyday situations e.g.

    • the mother leaving the room

    • the baby being left alone with another adult

  • The mothers were asked to record their responses on a four-point scale indicating the intensity of their baby's protests e.g.

    • whimpering

    • crying

    • holding arms out to mother as she left the room

  • The scale was designed as a measure of separation anxiety and an marker of stranger anxiety

    • Separation anxiety is distress shown by an infant when they are separated from their caregiver

    • Stranger anxiety is distress shown by an infant when approached, picked up or left with a stranger or unfamiliar person

• Results

  • Schaffer & Emerson identified four distinct stages of attachment in the development of infants

    • Asocial stage

    • Indiscriminate attachment

    • Specific attachment

    • Multiple attachments

Stages of attachment

• As part of their development, all babies go through the four stages of attachment (as identified by Schaffer & Emerson 1964)

• Each stage of attachment is linked to specific ages

Stage 1: Asocial stage

• Age

  • From birth to two months

• Observations

  • Behaviours towards humans and inanimate objects are similar (asocial)

  • Babies can show preference for the presence of familiar people and social stimuli such as milk, facial expressions and 'cooing' from adults

  • Bonds start to form through reciprocity and interactional synchrony

Stage 2: Indiscriminate attachment (pre-social stage)

• Age

  • From two to seven months

• Observations

  • Infants become more social

  • They show a clear preference for being with humans instead of inanimate objects

  • Babies in this stage recognise their caregivers and other familiar people

  • They will accept closeness (cuddles, soothing) from any person and do not show separation anxiety

  • They are unlikely to show stranger anxiety during this stage

Stage 3: Specific attachment

• Age

  • From seven months

• Observations:

  • The formation of attachment to a specific caregiver

    • This person becomes known as the primary attachment figure

  • Babies will show signs of separation and stranger anxiety particularly when away from their primary attachment figure

Stage 4: Multiple attachments

• Age

  • From the age of one year

• Observations

  • After an attachment to a primary attachment figure has been formed, babies begin to form multiple attachments with other people that they spend time with, such as fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc.

    • These are called secondary attachments

  • Separation anxiety can occur when infants are separated from their secondary attachments

Evaluation

Strengths

• Schaffer & Emerson's study involved observations carried out by the parents in the home

  • The observations did not take place in controlled, lab conditions

    • This means that the babies were not distracted by the presence of unfamiliar researchers

    • This means that the babies were simply 'being babies' in their home environment

  • This means that there is high external validity to the research

• The findings of Schaffer & Emerson's study have good real-world application

  • The stages of attachment can be applied practically to daycare settings such as nurseries and preschools (kindergartens)

  • Parents can use the stages of attachment to help understand the development of their child

  • This means that they may avoid starting their child in daycare around seven months due to the likelihood of the infant being in the specific attachment phase

Limitations

• Schaffer & Emerson's study relied on the mothers making observations

  • The mothers were unlikely to be objective observers

    • Some mothers may be more or less sensitive to their child's distress at separation and so report findings differently and with less accuracy from other families

    • Some mothers may have under-reported what they perceived to be the less positive aspects of their child's experience

  • This means that the data may be unreliable

• The data collected by Schaffer & Emerson was from a biased sample

  • Schaffer & Emerson only used families from a working-class population from Glasgow, Scotland (an individualistic culture)

    • This means the findings may not apply to other socioeconomic and cultural groups

    • The findings may not be generalisable beyond the immediate demographic

• The data was collected in the 1960s

  • Parental care has changed (in the UK) since then as:

    • fewer mothers stay at home

    • the primary caregiver role may be divided between parents and even grandparents

    • there are more 'blended' families; many children these days have wider, extended families to attach to

  • This means that the findings lack temporal validity