1. Stages of Attachment
Lesson 2

2. RECAP How might researchers ‘measure’ attachment behaviour?
What is the appropriate terminology to use?

3. Stages of Attachment Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
Aim: to investigate the formation of early attachments, when they started, their intensity and to whom they were directed.
Method: A longitudinal study using 60 babies (31 male, 21 female) from Glasgow the majority from skilled working class backgrounds. They were visited at home every month for the first year and then at 18 months. Mothers were interviewed to measure the infants level of attachment asking questions about how their infants responded to seven situations e.g. adult leaving the room (separation anxiety) and observations were conducted to investigate the level of distress the presence of a stranger caused (stranger anxiety).
From this they developed the Stages of Attachment model

4. Stages of Attachment
If you had to guess at the results what might you say?
Put these stages in chronological (time) order
If you had to allocate an age to each stage, what might you guess? (clue – all of them occur within the first year)
Multiple Attachments
Indiscriminate Attachments
Pre-attachment
Discriminate Attachment

5. Stages of Attachment
Put these in order and match them together with the right age
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

6. Stages of Attachment
Put these in order and match them together with the right age
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

7. Stages of Attachment Stage Age Description Pre- attachment
Birth-3 months
Babies start to smile and become more “sociable” from around 6 weeks. They can tell people apart and like to be in human company so begin to form stronger attachments however these do not progress much until the next stage as they can be easily comforted by any individual. At this stage, Schaffer and Emerson found that they did not show a fear of strangers.

8. Stages of Attachment Stage Age Description Indiscriminate attachment
3 months to 7/8 months
Infants are recognising and forming bonds with their carers through reciprocity and interactional synchrony however their behaviour towards animate (faces) or inanimate objects (teddies) is quite similar. Towards the end of the phase they start to be more content when in the presence of other people and can be more easily calmed by familiar adults but will allow strangers to handle and look after them.

9. Stages of Attachment Stage Age Description Discriminate attachment
Usually 7/8 months onward
The key things about this stage are that the infant begins to show separation anxiety and “protests”, usually by crying, when their primary attachment figure leaves (the biological mother in 75% of cases) They are said to now have formed a specific attachment. The second key behaviour is that they begin to show fear of strangers.

10. Stages of Attachment Stage Age Description Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards
Shortly after infants show specific attachments they begin to make multiple attachments (29% within a month according to Schaffer’s study). This is usually towards friends, grandparents and child-minders/ nursery staff.

11. Stages of Attachment
Put these in order and match them together with the right age
Stage
Age
Multiple Attachments
7/8 months onwards
Indiscriminate Attachments
9 months onwards
Pre-attachment
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
Birth – 3 months

12. Stages of Attachment
Put these in order and match them together with the right age
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

13. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Jacintha showed no distress when her mother (her primary caregiver) left the room to go out for the evening. When her older brother elbowed her she cried but was comforted after a cuddle from the new baby sitter who had just started that evening.
Stage:
Reasons:
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

14. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Jacintha showed no distress when her mother (her primary caregiver) left the room to go out for the evening. When her older brother elbowed her she cried but was comforted after a cuddle from the new baby sitter who had just started that evening.
Stage: Pre-attachment
Reasons: Easily comforted by any individual

15. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Ash went to nursery 4 days a week. When he saw his key worker at the nursery he was immediately pleased to see her and happy to be at nursery. When his mum picked him up from nursery he ran straight to he and was delighted to see her; the situation was the same when his dad picked him up. Once, though, his Auntie (who did not like children and rarely saw Ash) had to pick him up from nursery; Ash cried and clung to his key worker. Stage: Reasons:
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

16. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Ash went to nursery 4 days a week. When he saw his key worker at the nursery he was immediately pleased to see her and happy to be at nursery. When his mum picked him up from nursery he ran straight to he and was delighted to see her; the situation was the same when his dad picked him up. Once, though, his Auntie (who did not like children and rarely saw Ash) had to pick him up from nursery; Ash cried and clung to his key worker. Stage: Multiple Attachments Reasons: Specific attachments to a number of familiar people

17. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Albert cried the first time he saw his grandfather, who live abroad so had not visited him before. Furthermore, when his father (his primary caregiver) left the room Albert tried to follow him and tearfully banged on the shut door to try to get his father back. Stage: Reasons:
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

18. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Albert cried the first time he saw his grandfather, who lives abroad so had not visited him before. Furthermore, when his father (his primary caregiver) left the room Albert tried to follow him and tearfully banged on the shut door to try to get his father back. Stage: Discriminate Reasons: Separation anxiety

19. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Jane seemed interested when shown the red balloon, her teddy or her older sister. She seemed quite excited when her dad came back home from work but she also seemed excited to see a blue balloon. When the blue balloon popped she became very upset; showing her the red balloon did not calm her down, but a cuddle from her dad did.
Stage:
Reasons:
Stage
Age
Pre-attachment
Birth – 3 months
Indiscriminate Attachments
3 months to 7/8 months
Discriminate Attachment
7/8 months onwards
Multiple Attachments
9 months onwards

20. Which of Schaffer’s stages is the infant at and why?
Jane seemed interested when shown the red balloon, her teddy or her older sister. She seemed quite excited when her dad came back home from work but she also seemed excited to see a blue balloon. When the blue balloon popped she became very upset; showing her the red balloon did not calm her down, but a cuddle from her dad did.
Stage: Indiscriminate attachment
Reasons: behaviour towards animate and inanimate objects is similar

21. Stages of Attachment Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
Aim: to investigate the formation of early attachments, when they started, their intensity and to whom they were directed.
Method: A longitudinal study using 60 babies (31 male, 21 female) from Glasgow the majority from skilled working class backgrounds. They were visited at home every month for the first year and then at 18 months. Mothers were interviewed to measure the infants level of attachment asking questions about how their infants responded to seven situations e.g. adult leaving the room (separation anxiety) and observations were conducted to investigate the level of distress the presence of a stranger caused (stranger anxiety).

22. Stages of Attachment
Findings: Timing-Specific attachment (signs of separation anxiety) 50% of infants by 7 months, 80% by 10 months and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments.
By one year 78% had developed multiple attachments with 33% having five or more multiple attachment figures.  
The findings of this study were used to create Schaffer’s stages and so we can say that the stages have longitudinal evidence supporting it.

23. Evaluation of the stages of attachment
How might we evaluate this study?
You will be given one point… on wall whiteboards expand this using the PES model
You need to add to the point made in each box;
some of the points need introducing so the point is made is clear,
some need explaining more,
all need linking back to the stages of attachment – so what does the point really tell us about the stages of attachment?

24. Points Schaffer and Emerson’s study was longitudinal ….
In some cultures multiple caregivers are the norm ….
The stages were developed based on evidence such as Schaffer and Emerson’s study
This is a stage theory so………
Schaffer and Emerson’s study is based on a limited sample of participants…..
The stages link to reciprocity and intentional synchrony because……..

25. RECAP 1. Name Schaffer’s four stages in order
2. Fully describe two of Schaffer’s stages
3. Describe the procedures of Schaffer’s study
3. Describe the findings of Schaffer’s study
4. Make a comment on the validity of Schaffer’s research
5. Make a comment on the sample of Schaffer’s study
6. Make a comment the fact that this was a stage theory.