SCHAFFER AND EMERSON 1964

Aims

b) identify and describe the ‘distinct stages’ by which attachment develops

a) assess whether there was a ‘pattern’ of attachment formation that was common to all infants

procedure

Babies were studied in their own homes, carers self-reported their observations of their infants’ behaviour using daily diaries and were interviewed about their babies’ responses

Evidence for the development of an attachment was recorded when the baby showed ‘separation anxiety’ after a carer left, and ‘stranger anxiety’ when the researcher approached.

They were studied at monthly intervals for the first year of their life, then again at 18 months.

conducted a longitudinal study on 60 new-born babies and their mothers from a working-class area of Glasgow

findings

most infants went to develop multiple attachments. at 18 months, 87% had at least two attachments

attachments to different people were of a similar nature

strongly attached infants had mother who responded to their needs quickly and gave more opportunities for interaction

39% of infants prime attachment was not to the main carer ie. the person who fed and bathed them

infants showed separation protest when parted from their attachment figure at between 6-8 months, stranger anxiety about one month later

conclusion

there is a pattern common to all infants, suggest the process is biologically controlled

attachments are more easily made with those who display sensitive reponsiveness

multiple attachments are the norm and of similar quality

strength

conducted under everyday conditions, meaning conclusions can been seen as having high ecological validity

most observations were made by the parents during ordinary activities, means that babies behaved naturally while being observed

high mundane realism

weakness

the data was biased as it was based on mothers reports of their infants

may have been less likely to report their less responsive behaviour, want to be seen in a positive light

unreliable data

social desirability bias

undermines the validity of the data

biased sample

lacks population validity

lacks temporal validity

working class background, may not apply to other social groups

child rearing practices have changed

more women go out to work

therefore, findings might be different if a similar study was conducted today