AQA A-Level Psychology: Stages of Attachment

Good luck with your exams! This is all about the development of attachment including Schaffer and Emerson's key study AND the role of the father. It is harder and longer than previous quizzes but it's everything you need to know for the topic!

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Last updated: May 14, 2024

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First submitted	May 14, 2024
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Question	Answer
Who conducted the study on the stages of attachment?	Schaffer and Emerson
What is the name of stage 1?	Indiscriminate attachment
What is the name of stage 2?	Beginning of attachment
What is the name of stage 3?	Discriminate attachment
What is the name of stage 4?	Multiple attachment
What percentage of infant's first specific attachment were with their MOTHERS in the study?	65%
What percentage of infant's first specific attachment were with their FATHERS in the study?	3%
When was the study on the stages of attachment conducted?	1960s
What age is the infant during stage 1?	From birth until about 2 months
What age is the infant during stage 2?	Around the age of 4 months
What age is the infant during stage 3?	By 7 months
When does the infant develop stage 4?	Very soon after the main attachment is formed
What is supposedly the BIOLOGICAL reason mothers are more sensitive than fathers?	Oestrogen
How does an infant develop a relationship during the indiscriminate stage?	Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
What percentage of infants had formed an attachment with their father by 18 months old?	75%
What does the infant show a preference to at the end of the indiscriminate stage?	Social stimuli, such as smiling faces
What is the role of father according to Geiger (1996)?	A father is an exciting playmate whereas the mother is conventional and nurturing.
What are the main features of the beginning of attachment stage? (HINT: There's no stranger anxiety yet so...)	Easily comforted by everyone
What are the main features of the beginning of attachment stage?	Can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people
What are the main features of the beginning of attachment stage? (HINT: The most distinctive feature of this phase)	Become more social / General sociability / Enjoyment of being with people
Who has the infant formed an attachment with during the discriminate stage?	Their primary attachment figure
What two types of anxiety develops in the discriminate stage?	Separation anxiety
What two types of anxiety develops in the discriminate stage?	Stranger anxiety

Question	Answer
After ONE month of forming their first specific attachment, what percentage of infants had another attachment to someone else in the study?	29% - This could be the other parent, a sibling, a grandparent or other relatives.
After SIX month of forming their first specific attachment, what percentage of infants had another attachment to someone else in the study?	78%
What is supposedly the CULTURAL/SOCIAL reason mothers are more sensitive than fathers?	Gender stereotypes / Spend more time at work
What did Frodi (1978) find about the role of the father as a primary attachment figure?	There was no difference in the physiological responses of men and women when shown a video of a baby crying.
AO3: What are the main LIMITATIONS of the stages of attachment research?	Unreliable - Data is based on self-reports from mothers.
What hormone elicits caregiving behaviour? (HINT: It was previously thought that only women had it but recent research has shown men can produce it.)	Oxytocin
AO3: What are the main LIMITATIONS of the stages of attachment research?	Biased sample - The sample was from the working class population.
AO3: What are the main LIMITATIONS of the stages of attachment research?	Lacks temporal validity - Parenting has changed since the 1960s.
AO3: What are the main LIMITATIONS of the stages of attachment research?	Ethnocentric bias - This research is based on individualist cultures and shouldn't be generalised to collectivist cultures.
AO3: What are the main LIMITATIONS of the stages of attachment research?	Inflexible - The model is in a fixed order so any infant that doesn't follow the norm may be classed as abnormal.
AO3: What are the main STRENGTHS of the role of the father?	Proof of its importance - Children with secure attachments to their fathers have better relationships with peers, less problematic behaviour, and are more able to regulate their emotions.
AO3: What did Field (1978) find about the role of the father?	Fathers were more playful than mothers - After comparing mothers and fathers interactions with 4 month old infants, they observed that fathers engaged more in game playing but held the infant less.
AO3: What did Field (1978) find that primary caregiver fathers did more than secondary caregiver fathers?	Primary fathers engaged in significantly more smiling, reciprocity, and interactional synchrony than secondary fathers.