Schaffer and Emerson's Glasgow Baby Study

The Glasgow Baby Study, conducted by Schaffer and Emerson in 1964, is a cornerstone of attachment research and a key topic in AQA A Level Psychology attachment exam questions.

Highlight: This longitudinal study aimed to determine when infants form attachments, to whom, and the strength of these attachments.

Key findings of the study include:

• The first specific attachment was typically formed with the mother.
• Around 50% of babies showed separation anxiety towards a particular adult between 25-32 weeks of age.
• Attachment tended to form with the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to the infant's signals.
• By 18 months, 75% of babies had made a secondary attachment to their father.

Vocabulary: Longitudinal study - A research method that involves repeated observations of the same variables over an extended period.

These findings have significant implications for understanding the development of attachment in infants and are crucial for answering Attachment AQA A Level Psychology exam questions and answers.

The Role of Fathers in Attachment

Recent research has shed light on the role of fathers in attachment, challenging traditional views and providing new insights for Attachment Psychology A Level revision.

Grossman's (2002) longitudinal study found differences in the nature of attachments children formed with fathers compared to mothers:

• Mothers often became the primary attachment figure due to their role in physical and emotional care.
• Fathers typically became secondary attachment figures, primarily through play interactions.

Highlight: Recent research suggests no significant difference in children's development between single-parent families and conventional heterosexual two-parent families, indicating that fathers may not have a specific, unique role in children's development.

This evolving understanding of paternal roles in attachment is an important consideration for AQA attachment Psychology notes and exam preparation.

Harlow's Monkey Studies

Harry Harlow's experiments with rhesus monkeys provide another crucial perspective on attachment formation, essential for A level Psychology attachment physics and maths tutor resources.

Harlow's studies involved infant rhesus monkeys raised in isolation with two surrogate "mothers":

1. A wire mother that provided food
2. A cloth mother that provided no food but was soft and comfortable

Highlight: These experiments demonstrated that infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother over the nourishment provided by the wire mother, suggesting that attachment is not solely based on feeding.

Key findings from Harlow's research:

• Monkeys spent more time clinging to the cloth mother, especially when frightened.
• Monkeys raised with only a wire mother showed disturbed behavior later in life.
• The studies emphasized the importance of comfort contact in forming attachments.

These findings have significant implications for understanding the nature of attachment in primates and humans, making them a crucial topic for Attachment Psychology A Level revision.

Evaluation of Animal Studies in Attachment Research

While animal studies have provided valuable insights into attachment processes, it's important to critically evaluate their applicability to human attachment for AQA a level Psychology attachment exam questions and Answers.

Strengths:

• Allow for more controlled experimental conditions than human studies.
• Provide insights into innate attachment behaviors that may be shared across species.

Limitations:

• Ethical concerns regarding the treatment of animals in research.
• Difficulty in generalizing findings from animals to complex human social and emotional relationships.

Highlight: The ethical implications of animal studies, particularly those involving isolation and potential distress, have led to significant debate in the field of psychology.

Understanding these strengths and limitations is crucial for developing a nuanced perspective on attachment research, which is essential for Attachment Psychology A Level AQA examinations.

Critical Evaluation of Schaffer and Emerson's Study

For comprehensive Attachment Psychology A Level revision, it's important to critically evaluate key studies like Schaffer and Emerson's Glasgow Baby Study.

Strengths:

• Longitudinal design allowed for observation of attachment development over time.
• Naturalistic observations in the home environment provided high ecological validity.
• Large sample size (60 mother-infant pairs) increases reliability of findings.

Limitations:

• The study focused primarily on working-class families in Glasgow, potentially limiting generalizability.
• Reliance on maternal reports may introduce bias.
• The study was conducted in the 1960s, and societal changes may affect its relevance today.

Highlight: The study's findings on multiple attachments and the importance of caregiver responsiveness have had a lasting impact on attachment theory and research.

This critical evaluation is crucial for developing the analytical skills required in AQA a level Psychology attachment exam questions and Answers.