Attachment: INfluence of early attachment

Question 1

What is the role of the internal working model?

Answer 1

First or early attachments teach infant how to behave in relationships and how to act. Is an archetype for future interactions

Question 2

Outline key study into the influence of earlyattachment

Answer 2

hazan and Shaver:
Placed Love quiz in a newspaper, asking questions about current attachments and childhood attachment types. It asked questions about attitudes to love too. Analysed 600 responses, 200 from men and 415 from women.
Results: Found that the attachment types were similar to that found in infants, 57% secure, 25% avoidant and 19% resistant. Securely attached adults tended to find that they were loving and trusting in love experiences.

Question 3

What are behaviours influenced by internal working models?

Answer 3

Childhood friends: Minesota child study found those who were securely attached came out more popular and empathetic as they are more trusting (of parent ..)
Poor parenting; Means they will lack the parenting skills in the future when they act as parents.
Romantic relationships: Hazan and Schaffer found it affects romance
Mental health: found that lack of attachment in critical period can lead to mental health issues including depressio and anxiety and lack of trust/paranoia.

Question 4

Give 3 eval points for influence of early attachment:

Answer 4

• Research if correlational: not experimental so we cant be sure that lack of attachment/ bad working model CAUSES it
• Inaccurate as the results may be skewed, its a questionnaire answers may be inaccurate and remembering childhood is inaccurate
• Overly determinist: it essentially says that no matter what, the child will end up with a ‘doomed future ‘

Question 5

outline and evaluate the influence of early attachment

- GIVE MAIN POINTS FOR AO1 AND AO2

Answer 5

AO1:
a) Value of Maternal care
b) Areas it affects:
Childhood friends, relationships, parenting and mental health
e) Hazan and Schafer study
AO2:
a) Overly determinist : it states no matter what happens
b) research based on correlation (NO DIRECT LINK)
c) Inaccurate as questionnaires lacks internal validity