Stages of Attachments Development:

• Schaffer (1996) showed how the common pattern in the development of infants' attachments could be divided into several distinct stages. PIDM.
• Based on the longitudinal study he conducted - SEE SEPARATE REVISION CARDS - of 60 babies in Glasgow in 1960's.

1. Pre-Attachment Phase (birth - 3 months):

• From 6 weeks infants become attracted to other humans, preferring them to objects and events.  This preference is demonstrated by their smiling at people's faces. Carpenter (1975) contradicted Schaffer & Emerson's belief that initially babies are attracted to any person interacting with them by presenting infants with familiar and unfamiliar voices and faces.  Someties face and voice would be of the same person and sometimes not.  He found that 2 week old babies looked at a face longest when it was the mothers accompanied by her voice and were distressed at the sight of her face accompanied by a different voice.  Suggests that babies can recognise and are attracted to their mothers from an early age.

2. Indiscriminate Attachment Phase (3 - 7/8 months):

• Infants begin to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people, smiling more at known people, though they will still allow strangers to handle and look after them. 

3. Discriminate Attachment Phase (7/8 months onwards):

• Infants begin to develop specific attachments staying close to particular people and becoming distressed when separated from them.  They avoid unfamiliar people and protest if strangers try to handle them.

4. Multiple Attachments Phase (9 months onwards):

• Infants form strong emotional ties with other major caregivers, like grandparents, and non-caregivers, like other children.  The fear of strangers weakens, but attachment to the mother figure remains the strongest.
• Not disputed that most children form multiple attachments but what is disputed is the relative importance of these different attachment figures.

• Since this orignal research was carried out in the 1960's there has been a great deal of research which shows how responsive very young children are to those around them, and how they create and respond to this reciprocal relationship.
• Schaffer's stage theory seems a little inadequate and too formulaic in light of recent research.
• Bushnell et al (1989) found that babies who were less than 3 days old showed clear preferences for their mother's face rather than a stranger's face, despite the poor visual acuity of newborns.  There is evidence that children in the womb can recognise their mother and father's voice.
• Nagy (2008) observed 90 babies who were less than 4 days old.  Their mothers were asked to interact normally with their child but then to adopt a "neutral facial expression".  The children became agitated and distressed.  Supported by research by Farroni et al (2007) who found that babies have a preference for faces with open eyes and displaying happiness.
• Research suggests that very young children are far more aware and influenced by people around them than Schaffer believed.

• Bowlby believed that children had one prime attachment and that attachments with others were of minor importance compared to their main attachment bond.
• Rutter (1995) however, proposed a model of multiple attachments that saw all attachments as of equal importance, with these attachments combining together to help form a child's internal working model.
• Multiple attachments are often formed to different people for different purposes e.g. to mother for loving care; father for exciting, unpredicatable play; other attachments are often formed to grandparents, siblings and childminders.
• Could be argued that children with multiple attachments are at an advantage; they are more able to form and conduct social relationships as they ahve the experience to do so and if a child loses an attachment figure, it has several others it can turn to.
• Schaffer asgues that as the child becomes more secure in its specific attachments, it is able to become more attach to others close to him or her.  He argues that at this stage the process is complete, with attachment behaviour peaking between 12-18 months.
• However, Maccoby (1980) argues that it may continue up to 24 months.  After this time behaviours reduce and the child becomes more independent.  

• Rutter (1981) suggests that the purpose of attachment is detachment and that successful detachment depends on secure bonds.  This refers to the confidence the child has in the attachment figure being available when needed and being used as a "safe base" from which to explore a strange environment.

• Klaus & Kennell argued that 6-12 hours after birth is a critical period for a mother's emotional bonding to her infant.  We would expect a mother to form a bond immediately, as the child is usually given to the mother as soon as possible after delivery.  If they are correct, then there are massive implications for mothers and children split up at birth because of illness, premature birth, surgery or adoption.  This would imply that both the mother and child might suffer emotional damage if the bonding process was disrupted at birth.
  
• Rutter (1979) and Rode et al (1981) argue that the attachment/bonding process builds up slowly over a period of months rather than hours, just as the baby's bonding to the mother develops gradually.
• Jury is still out on how quickly a child develops an attachment with a parent or sibling.  
• Current thinking is that human children have "critical moments" rather than a critical period, which involves experiences they encounter in their early years.
• Chirban (2013) states that the experiences a child has are imprinted on synaptic webs within the brain.  This means that the child builds connections between what it encounters and future behaviour from a very young age.

BIRTH:  Biological Regulation:  

Sleeping, feeding, nappy changing etc. are tied in with parental requirements.

2 MONTHS:  Face to Face Exchanges:

Mutual attentiveness and responsiveness.

5 MONTHS:  Topic Sharing:

Objects become involved in interactions, such as toys.

8 MONTHS:  Reciprocity:

Initiates actions towards others and sharing; more flexible symmetrical relationships.

18 MONTHS:  Symbolic Representations:

Verbal and other symbolic means of communicating.

• This timescale is a guide, since children develop at different ages and the interaction depends on many factors such as the time the caregiver spends with the child, whether there are other siblings, how much time the child sleeps etc. 
• Taken broadly however, if the caregiver gives time and attention to the child, it would be expected that the child would develop roughly according to this serial pattern.
• It's a development pattern where one stage buids upon another.

Some factors that might affect attachment:

1. The amount of time a parent is able to spend with its child.

2. The quality of the interaction e.g. stimulation such as talking, touching and playing rather than just the amount of time spent with the child is important Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

3. Sensitivity of the attachment figure to the specific needs of the child Ainsworth et al. (1971) and Schaffer (1977) points to the importance of mutual reciprocity in the infant/mother relationship.

4. An attachment figure must be a consistent figure in the child's world, a predictable part of the child's environment. Robertson & Robertson (1971) and Tizard & Rees (1974).

5. Responsiveness to the child's personality.  Some children appear to need more comfort than others, but even the "non-cuddlers" need to be able to see or touch their mother when frightened.  Schaffer & Emerson (1964).