| Grossman et Al research into fathers | carried out a longitudinal study (repeated observations of the same variables for a long period of time) where the babies were studied till they were teenagers. They found that the quality of attachment in adolescence was related to the baby's attachment to their mothers, not their fathers. Fathers role is more to do with play and stimulation, not emotional development of the child. |
| Schaffer and Emerson research into fathers role | found that only 3% of the cases were where the father was the sole attachment figure. In 27% of the cases the father was the joint first object of attachment with the mother. This was the attachment situation at around 7 months, by around 18 months 75% of the babies studied by Schaffer and Emerson formed an attachment to their father. This was observed as babies showed signs of separation anxiety when the fathers left. |
| LIMITATION of Grossman et al | Conflicting evidence : A limitation of the research support for the role of father is that findings change according to the methodology of the study. Grossman et Al found that fathers do have a role in children's development. If this was the case, children with single mothers or lesbian mothers would be negatively affected by the lack of a father figure. However, studies show that these children do not develop differently from those children with hetrosexual parents. |
