3.2 Stages of Attachment

Schaffer and Emerson (1964): studied 60 babies, all from Glasgow of similar class backgrounds. Visited mothers in their own homes at 1 year then again at 18 months. Interviewed the mothers about the babies behaviour to measure adaption.
1. Stages:
  1. 1. Asocial Stage - Little distinction between humans and inanimate objects, tend to show preference for eyes and company of people familiar to them.
    1. 2. Indiscriminate attachment - 2-7 months, show clear preference for other humans rather than objects. Recognise and prefer familiar people. Do not show separation or stranger anxiety.
      1. 3. Specific attachment - 7 months +, display stranger and separation anxiety. Said to have formed a primary attachment to a certain person by this point, most commonly the mother.
        4. Multiple attachments - 1 year, begin to form multiple secondary attachments, show clear anxiety and attachment behaviours. 29% formed secondary attachments within a month of forming a primary one.
Evaluation
1. Strengths:
  1. Good external validity. Most observations were made by parents during ordinary activities, highly likely that behaviour was natural.
  2. Practical application. Parents' use of daycare can be planned alongside attachment stages.
2. Weaknesses:
  1. Poor evidence for asocial stage. Young babies are fairly immobile so their actions may have been subtle, therefore there is difficulty in observing and picking up signs.
  2. Bias issues. The mother as the observer is unlikely to be closely objective.

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3.2 Stages of Attachment

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