1. Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
Stages of attachment
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

2. Learning Objectives
We are learning about the stages of attachment proposed by Schaffer and Emerson.

3. Success criteria By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
Describe the four stages of attachment
Evaluate the stages of attachment
Apply your knowledge to an exam question

4. What sort of interactions were the researchers looking for?
Background
Schaffer and Emerson observed babies for 18 months.
They looked at the interactions between the baby and its carer’s
What sort of interactions were the researchers looking for?

5. The four stages of attachment…
Up to 3 months old: This phase is known as ‘indiscriminate attachments’
The baby is not predisposed to a particular caregiver
Babies respond equally to all caregivers

6. After four months…
Preference for certain people/the beginnings of attachment
Infants learn to distinguish primary and secondary caregivers but accept care from anyone. They do NOT yet display stranger anxiety. This stage is characterised by general sociability (enjoyment of being with people.

7. After 7 months… Specific/discriminate attachment.
The baby looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection. 
The baby will show fear of strangers (stranger anxiety) and distress when separated from a special person (separation anxiety). 
This is a good thing as it illustrates that an attachment has been formed.

9. After 9 months *The baby will now go into labour and give birth
Multiple attachments
The baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments.
*Joking

10. Evaluation

11. Unreliable data
The data collected by the researchers was based on mothers’ reports of their infants
What is the problem with this and how could it have affected the results?

12. Out of date research This study was conducted in the 1960’s
What has changed since this time that could result in this study not being applicable anymore?
If the study was repeated today would we get the same results?

13. Problems with a stage model
This theory offers four stages to describe the development children go through in their attachments.
But what if, in some cultures, multiple attachments occur before single attachments? Does this make this culture abnormal? Are they bad parents?
The problem is families are judged based on these inflexible stages. If their child's attachment do not follow the stages it could reflect badly on them.

14. Success criteria By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
Describe the four stages of attachment
Evaluate the stages of attachment
Apply your knowledge to an exam question

15. Exam Question
Describe and evaluate the stages of attachment identified by Schaffer and Emerson (12 marks)