The Behaviourists theory predicts that the person who spends the most time with an infant should become the attachment figure. Shafffer and Emerson conducted a longititual and detailed study of 60 infants and found that 39% of these cases the person who usually fed, bathed and changed the child was not the primary attachment object. Fox studied the infants raised in an Israel Kibbutzim, their behaviour was observed in the strange situation with their mothers and nurses. The children sought comfort from the mothers indicating a stronger attachment, despite speeding shorter amounts of them than their nurses. This suggests that quality is more important than quantity. Ainsworh et al proposed that it is quality not quantity that counts. Anxious attachments results from mothers who respond less readily to an infants needs. Secure attachments occurs when a mother is sensitive, sees things from an infant's point of view and is accepting.
The first stage of forming attachments is named asocial this stage is between 0 and 2 months. An infant produces a similar responses to social stimuli. The infant responds to voices and faces shows recognition of main caregivers by being more settled if held by that person. The second stage indisrinate is between 2 and 7months, an infant has preference for any company and complains when put down.
The third stage specific is between 7 and 9 months, infant protest when separated from one particular individual and displays stranger anxiety. The final stage multiple is from 9 months on, soon after the main attachment figure is formed a wider circle of attachment to familiar people also develops.
Bushrell et al found that infants less than 24hrs old, looked longer at their mother than other women. These findings indicate that within the first and second weeks of life infants already show preferences to their mother. Klaus and Kennel studied mothers and babies after birth in hospital. Babies used to be separated from their mothers straight after birth until the first feed. Today unless for medical reasons babies are left with their parents. These changes were partly due to the work of Klaus and Kennel, their findings suggested that mothers who didn't experienced early contact, would be disadvantaged in developing a relationship with their baby. A failure to bond was thought to have damaging consequences for a child's social and emotional development. It has even been suggested that a early bond of the mother might be a contributing factor to a mother abusing her child. However there is studies that show mothers that experience painful childbirth who result in feeling distant to their infant for a few weeks, still go on to develop strong bonds. Schaffer criticised the idea of bonding like super glue, he argued that the experimental studies don't provide support for the idea that early contact enhances mother infant bonds and suggests that the claims about bonding fail to act explain the complexing and changing nature of human relationships.
Adoption - most adoptions take place early before bonding begins. All adoptive kids children probably experience some sense of loss (deprivation) but Singer found that in adoptive children attachments were equally high as non-adoptive kids. Attachment disorder is an recognised syndrome in the USA with symptoms such as being unable to form relationships showing little emotion and engine in very aggressive and controlling behaviour. Children with this disorder have invariably been adopted after six months , subsequently experiences multiple foster homes or care institutions. This means that they have little or as none experiences of attachments. When offered a change to develop a relationship it comes to late.
