The Development of Attachment

Multiple attachments - this means having more than one attachment figure.

Primary attachment figure - the closest, most intense bondthat the infant has.

Separation anxiety - the distress shown by an infant when they are away from their caregiver.

Stranger anxiety - the distress shown by the infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar to them. 

Schaffer and Emerson wanted to find out when attachments are formed-to do this they studied 60 infants, aged 5 to 23 weeks, from working class families living in Glasgow-they did this up until they turned 1 meaning that this was a longitudinal study. Every 4 weeks they visited they mother who reported the babies responses to separation in 7 everyday situations; reports included the childs intensity of protest on a four-point scale. The interviewer assessed their responses to themselves at each visit as they were strangers to the child.

They found that from about 21 to 24 weeks infants have heightened anxiety towards strangers because they have already formed a secure attachment.       Schaffer and Emerson created 4 stages of attachment:

Indiscriminate attachments (0-2 months) - Infant has no preference for anyone in particular but…