attachment

Question 1

caregiver-infant interactions AO1

Answer 1

care-giver infant interactions

Early social interactions between babies and caregivers play an important role in attachment development
reciprocity - both caregiver and infant respond to each others signals with each eliciting a response from the other (turn taking)
babies actively seek interaction and have alert phases to signal readiness for interaction
eidelman - mothers pick up on babies cue and respond to their alertness around 2/3 of the time
from 3 months of age - cues become more frequent
interactional synchrony - mirroring of facial/body movements in a coordinated manner
Meltzoff and Moore - babies at 2 weeks old imitate specific facial and hand gestures (babies response filmed when shown gestures)
isabella et al - assessed synchrony between mothers and babies
found high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother baby attachmen

Question 2

caregiver-infant interactions eval - controlled conditions

Answer 2

controlled conditions
laboratory settings = high internal validity
control of confounding variables that could affect results such as minimising distractions to the baby
filming results means details won’t be missed
+ researchers wont be busy noting down behaviours and can take a holistic view to the research instead of focusing on smaller structured parts
greater inter-rater reliability as multiple observers (not involved in research) can view recording and note details others may have missed
+ no demand characteristics as babies dont know theyre being observed = high validity + reliability

Question 3

caregiver-infant interactions eval -difficult to observe babies

Answer 3

difficult observing babies

hard to interpret babies movements (especially at 2 weeks for meltzoff and moore when babies are immobile)

babies lack coordination and are immobile - only subtle expression changes or hand movements noted

we cant see babies perspective such as a hand movement being triggered by caregiver vs simple movement

reliant on inference?

+feldman believes synchrony shows patterns between baby and mother but doesnt explain meaning of the movement

therefore lack of evidence for whether observations within synchrony/reciprocity are important for children’s development

complimentary research needed to understand significance of whats observed

Question 4

caregiver-infant interactions eval - practical applications BUT socially sensitive

Answer 4

practical applications
isabella et al suggests early interactions are important for a childs development
interactional synchrony led to greater quality attachment
mothers may use this research to prioritise their time with baby - focus on parent baby interactions the most in crucial stages of early life
crotwell et al found 10 minutes of parent child interaction therapy increased synchrony in 20 low income mothers and pre school children
research has helped support mothers who may not have known about the importance of mother-baby time
supports the notion that despite limitations, caregiver-infant interactions are indeed important for child development
BUT socially sensitive as mothers who return to work soon after birth may feel they are at risk of damaging babies development
may feel failure/inadequacy as a parent

Question 5

stages of attachment AO1

Answer 5

stages of attachment

Schaffer and Emerson Glasgow study tracked 60 infants over their first year, assessing attachment through separation and stranger anxiety

Asocial Stage: baby’s behaviour is similar to humans and inanimate objects. In Early weeks infants tend to show preferences for familiar individuals

Indiscriminate Attachment: 2 to 7 months infants prefer human company over objects accept comfort from anyone without displaying separation or stranger anxiety

Specific Attachment: Around 7 months infants develop a primary attachment figure, typically a caregiver who offers the most interaction and responsiveness. They display separation anxiety when separated from their primary figure and stranger anxiety with unfamiliar people

Multiple Attachments: infants extend attachment behaviours to others with whom they regularly interact. Secondary attachments develop + majority of infants form multiple attachments by age 1
29% of children formed secondary attachments a month after forming specific attachment

Question 6

stages of attachment eval - high internal validity

Answer 6

lack of demand characteristics as observations occurred by mother (secure base) reducing anxiety and distractions for baby = natural behaviour
BUT mother may not have reported all behaviours due to social desirability bias
But mother may not have noticed all types of anxiety shown or have misremembered certain information (could have thought a behaviour happened as its part of routine rather than actually occurring)
Challenging to interpret babies behaviour:
+ babies are immobile in asocial stage so mother may not have realised differences between interactions and simple movements
Difficult to draw conclusions as results are reliant on inference

Question 7

stages of attachment eval -poor generalisability

Answer 7

Poor generalisability:
Research highlights how attachment has developmental progression but critics argue the stages are too rigid to explain all types of attachment
Individual differences influence attachment
upper class children who are raised by nannies or simply work and send their children to daycare at a young age may form multiple attachments at an earlier age than other children (or children who cosleep)
shaffer and emerson only looked at working class children
suggests children can follow the stages at different rates based on the way they are raised
glaswegians are an individualistic culture where the individual is prioritised, this means results are not generalisable to collectivist cultures such as japan where children are raised by a large community and would then make multiple attachments earlier
therefore results lack external validity and findings arent relevant everywhere

Question 8

stages of attachment eval - real world applications

Answer 8

Real world applications:
helps parents plan their daycare schedules
in the asocial and indiscriminate stages, daycare may be the easiest as baby is comforted by anyone
after specific attachment stage children may suffer from seperation and stranger anxiety so struggle
this can be overcome by starting them younger when they lack this anxiety and are more comfortable in the daycare environment
enables parents to return to work easily and readjust to their normal lives
however, mothers may feel like they are losing out on their childs development by not spending enough time with them (isabella et als theory)
BUT unclear how important synchrony is for attachment (inflated importance)
Needs further complimentary research

Question 9

stages of attachment eval - more research needed on quality of attachment

Answer 9

Support for multiple attachments BUT quality of relationships more important?

Multiple attachments contribute to development by security and supportiveness of relationships have a greater effect.
Further explanations and research needed to explain this importance

Question 10

role of the father AO1

Answer 10

role of the father

fathers gradually establish attachments, with 75% of children forming bonds by 18 months.
The quality of attachment to fathers may hold less weight in later relationships compared to maternal attachment quality

but fathers contribute uniquely to development, particularly through play and stimulation. Research shows quality of fathers’ play correlated with adolescent attachment quality
similar to a mother’s emotional attachment, indicating a distinct paternal role.

Primary attachment figures hold special emotional significance, shaping future relationships. Research suggests that fathers, when primary caregivers, exhibit emotional engagement similar to mothers, nurturing attachment through reciprocity and interactional synchrony

Therefore fathers possess the potential to fulfil the emotionally-focused primary attachment role, enhancing responsiveness crucial for bonding, especially in caregiving contexts

Question 11

role of the father eval - supporting research BUT differences in research questions

Answer 11

Supporting research:
Research shows fathers and mothers both have secure attachments with child but father involved in play and stimulation where child is more risk taking and mother is more emotional and comfort seeking

Both needed for development

Differences in research questions:

Lack of clarity of father as PCG or SCG
father as a primary care giver focuses on the nurturing side of the father vs the secondary care giver fathers focusing on the way fathers behave different to mothers - playful side
difficulty reaching conclusions as the research isnt comparable when there are 2 different focuses
Maternal vs playful characteristics - little overlap
+ societal preconceptions could have led to observer bias as stereotypical images of fathers as strict parents in adverts may cause unintentional observer bias
researcher may “see” what they expect to see rather than record whats actually happened
Fails to differentiate between the effects of the fathers involvement with children in non traditional family structures vs same sex couples or single parents
Skews conclusions about paternal role

Question 12

role of the father eval - conflicting research

Answer 12

Conflicting evidence:
grossmans longitudinal study shows that fathers are involved in play and stimulation not emotional care
however this would mean lesbian families or single sex parents children’s development would have been affected
BUT golombok proves children develop the same way as children of heterosexual couples suggesting role of father isnt important
however could argue that one person in lesbian family takes on the role of the father (even unconsciously) and therefore the play and stimulation side in a parent is still important
when present, fathers adopt the role of play but when not present - others can fulfill the role
Studies of fatherless children sound higher risks of behavioural problems and lower self esteem yet this can be mediated by various factors such as the presence of alternative attachment figures or quality of maternal care

Unclear how important the fathers role is in development

The fathers involvement must be considered in a broader context working hand in hand with the childs entire caregiving environment and support system

Question 13

role of the father eval - real world applications

Answer 13

Real world applications:

parental advice can be given to propspective parents unsure of who should be the PCG
mothers may feel pressured to stay home due to stereotypes but fathers may also feel forced to work as the breadwinner (may not be an economically viable solution)
society shaped to believe women are mothers and fathers are simply “baby sitting” highlighting how the world sees fathers (not a join effort of raising child)
research also gives advice to lesbian or single parents who can be informed that not having a father around doesn’t influence development of child
- eases parents anxiety on the importance of the father

Question 14

role of the father eval - more research needed on why fathers are playful

Answer 14

More research needed on why fathers are more playful:

Fathers may have been conditioned to show less emotion and stereotypically maternal qualities

Affected their role in childs development

Suggests social norms have a large effect on child rearing practices

Explains why fathers have the potential to be nurturing when necessary

Question 15

animal studies AO1

Answer 15

animal studies
lorenz: randomly divided a clutch of goose eggs where half were raised with mother (control) and half raised in an incubator who saw lorenz first
control followed mum around but experimental group followed lorenz (even when the groups were mixed together)
process = imprinting
species attach to first moving object they see which has to occur in the critical period (first few hours)
sexual imprinting - affects adulthood mate preferences eg: lorenz’s peacock saw a tortoise and directed all courtship to tortoises in life
harlow: 16 baby monkeys with 2 wire mothers
Rhesus monkeys preferred cloth-covered surrogate mothers for comfort, regardless of milk provision
monkeys showed contact comfort as the most important factor when forming attachments
maternally deprived monkeys became antisocial, aggressive, incapable of mating when they grew up
when they became mothers, they neglected and even killed their young
critical period of 90 days before deprivation became irreversible
These studies demonstrate the importance of early caregiving experiences and the detrimental effects of deprivation during critical developmental periods

Question 21

animal studies eval - supporting imprinting evidence

Answer 21

Lorenz has supporting imprinting research:

regollin and vallortigara - chicks were exposed to moving shape combinations eg triangle with rectangle in front
range of shape combinations were passed in front of the chicks but they followed the original combination most closely
suggests young animals are born with innate mechanisms to imprint on moving objects present within the critical period of development
+ research support increases validity as study was replicated

BUT
Behaviour in lab settings may not accurately reflect real life

Animals in captivity may exhibit different behaviours than those in natural settings

High levels of control comes at cost of ecological validity

Question 21

animal studies eval - real world applications

Answer 21

real world applications for humans and animals alike
howe - helped social workers and psychologists understand that a lack of attachment can cause developmental issues in future
helps them intervene to help the child
Harlows process of contact comfort emphasises importance of nurturing warmth in attachment formation
zoos understand importance of placing babies with mothers to ensure proper development and mating behaviours as an adult
BUT harlows monkeys suffered due to ethical issues - affected their development into adults
caused them long term distress
question whether results outweighed the risk

Future research needs more human influence and less ethical issues
As well as considering socio cultural contexts

Question 21

learning theory AO1

Answer 21

learning theory
dollard and miller used behaviourist approach to explain attachment
belief in cupboard love - child attaches to mother as she provides food for them
classical conditioning:
UCS (food) -> UCR (pleasure) NS (caregiver) -> no response NS + UCS (food + caregiver associated ) -> conditioned stimulus CS (caregiver) -> CR (pleasure) which leads to love and attachment
operant conditioning: learning through behavioural consequence
explains why babies cry for comfort
crying leads to feeding which is positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement at same time as crying stops and caregiver feels relief
(mutual reinforcement strengthens attachment)
drive reduction theory suggests hunger, a primary drive, becomes associated with caregivers who provide food. This means attachment is a secondary drive learned from associating the caregiver with the satisfaction of a primary drive
secondary drive occurs as caregiver is associated with satisfaction of the primary driv

Question 21

animal studies eval - poor generalisability to humans

Answer 21

lorenz: mammalian attachment system is very different to birds mammal attachment system is 2 way - mother attaches to child and child attaches to mother emotionally geese = children imprint on first person they see even if the attachment doesnt go both ways (eg: lorenz wasnt attached to geese as they were to him) therefore conclusions cannot be generalised to human attachment as they are completely different species - lowering external validity BUT lorenzs research does support the critical period where attachment must occur in 2.5 years for humans (bowlby) else there are long term consequences harlow: rheeses monkeys are mammalian so have similar attachment systems to humans compared to geese BUT human brain and behaviours are more complex than monkeys monkeys intelligence equivalent to a 3 year old human so differences in intelligence affect attachment therefore not appropriate to generalise conclusions to humans so lacks external validity

Question 21

learning theory eval - comfort may be more important than food

Answer 21

rather than food automatically leading to attachment classical conditioning could still be at play warmth and security associated with adult -> pleasure response which eventually leads to love and attachment this is supported by harlows monkeys who attached tp cloth mum and even clung to her when being fed by wire monkey suggests comfort is more important in attachment indicates that nurture and security are fundamental to attachment, which the learning theory does not adequately address

Question 21

learning theory eval - counter evidence from animal studies

Answer 21

Counter evidence from animal studies: lorenz geese imprinted on first moving object they saw without association with food harlow's monkeys preferred the cloth mother over wire mother with food suggesting comfort is more important than fulfilling the primary drive of hunger learning theory is reductionist -ignores other factors that could lead to attachment eg security or emotion suggests attachment isnt always based on food as learning theory suggests Critics argue LT ignores complex emotional link between child and carer in mammalian attachment systems like humans Lorenz geese proves attachment doesnt need conditioning and occurs rapidly (straight away not over time through association) +Children arent passive in attachment

Question 21

monotropic theory AO1

Answer 21

monotropic theory ASCMII - adaptive, social releases, critical period, monotropy, internal working model adaptive - goes against learning theory - proposed evolutionary explanation for attachment, ensuring young animals stay close to caregivers for surviv social releases - innate behaviours like cooing, smiling etc implemented by babies to activate social interaction which leads to attachment critical period - attachment must form in first 2.5 years of life else it becomes difficult monotropy - shows emphasis on a childs attachment with one particular caregiver (most important) more time spent with primary caregiver -> greater attachment two principles: the law of continuity = consistent care has a positive impact law of accumulated separation = prolonged separations impair attachment Children develop internal working models based on early attachment experiences, influencing future relationships and parenting behaviours.

Question 22

learning theory eval -

Question 23

monotropic theory eval - support for internal working model

Answer 23

bailey assessed attachment of 99 mothers with their babies researcher measured mothers attachment with own mother as well as babies attachment to mother found poorly attached mothers to their own mother had poor attachment with their child supports the internal working model where all new relationships are reflective of past ones BUT other factors can also affect social development/parenting (not just relationships) some researchers believe differences in anxiety and sociability can affect social development and parenting styles bowlby may have overstated effect of internal working model on social behaviour and parenting at cost of others Ignores contributing factors - incomplete explanation

Question 23

monotropic theory eval -evidence of social releases

Answer 23

Evidence of social releases: brazelton observed babies using social releases with attachment figure primary attachment figure then instructed to ignore social releases babies left increasingly distressed and some curled up and lay motionless illustrates role of social releasers in development and formation of attachments prolonged ignorance could lead to neglect forming detachment links to internal working model as childs poor relationship with carer would affect all future relationships as a result cycle of neglect if they have children? But determinist view - internal working models can change with positive relationships in future (social releases a biological approach thats adaptive)

Question 24

monotropic theory eval - practical applications

Answer 24

practical applications: Law of continuity in care has been foundational in orphanages and hospitals Highlights importance of consistent caregivers for secure attachments to form Eg: one key caregiver for minimal students in daycare (compared to romanian orphans suffering from maternal deprivation) Reinforces importance of maternal influence on a child through parental education BUT socially sensitive: Stigmatizes other caregiver arrangements that dont involve a maternal figure (gay couples or motherless parents etc) bowlbys law of continuity and accumulated seperation suggests working mothers can hinder a child's emotional development feminist erica burman points out that this belief makes it easy to place all the blame on the mother (usually the primary attachment figure) if things go wrong for the child in future others can use this to restrict mothers activities like working 'in the name of the childs developement' suggests the theory is outdated

Question 24

types of attachment eval -

Question 24

types of attachment OA1

Answer 24

types of attachment ainsworths strange situation assess childs attachment type This controlled observation measures attachment security in a laboratory setting with a two-way mirror analyses behaviours like proximity-seeking, exploration, secure-base behaviour, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, reunion response. comprised of seven episodes of 3 minutes secure base = baby explores but returns to caregiver as point of contact secure attachment: explore happily but use mother as a secure/safe base moderate separation and stranger anxiety and accept comfort on return 60-75% of british babies insecure avoidant: explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour little stranger anxiety, ignore caregiver on return 20-25% of british babies insecure resistant: do not explore and seek proximity high levels of separation/stranger anxiety and resist comfort when reunited 3% of british babies

Question 24

types of attachment eval -

Answer 24

Helps predict child development: research has found babies associated with secure relationships had better development into adulthood than others - better grades, less likely to be bullied, greater mental health as an adult insecure resistant has the worst outcomes (difficulty in relationships) suggests research produced meaningful conclusions on development BUT solomon and main identified a 4th category called disorganised attachment which was a mix of insecure avoidant and resistant suggests there are other attachment types that arent reflected in research some children may have been put into a category that didnt suit them lack of prediction for development of disorganised attachment - not useful for all children but its a small percentage - usually arising through abuse

Question 25

types of attachment eval -high internal validity

Answer 25

High internal validity: bick et al tested inter-rater reliability of strange situation and found agreement on attachment types 94% of the time confidence that results were not subjective reliable as lab conditions can control extraneous variables leading to high internal validity results can be replicated increasing validity - standardised procedures + stranger/separation anxiety is easy to monitor as movements are large and filled with expression (eg: crying when PCG leaves etc) - confidence in results But lab settings may not explain attachment types in real life situations Short term observations that may change over time (child doesnt have to stay insecure for life) Longitudinal studies needed for better understanding

Question 25

cultural variations of attachment eval - used indigenous researchers

Answer 25

Use of indigenous researchers: indigenous = researchers from the same culture as participants overcomes language barriers and cultural biases eg: takahashi who is japanese completed strange situation on japanese children (no stereotypes) greater chance of successful communication which increases validity of conclusions BUT not all researchers were indigenous - outsiders for US may have been bias in collecting research of people outside of their culture reducing validity meta analysis used a very large sample of a mix of indigenous and non-indigenous researchers presenting a range of views + increases validity of conclusions

Question 25

cultural variations of attachment eval - imposed etic

Answer 25

Imposed etic imposed etic - assuming a technique used in one cultural context will work in another for example: how babies reacted when mothers returned after seperation UK - lack of affection on reuinion could be insecure avoidant but in germany - lack of affection signals independence not insecurity therefore parts of strange situation arent catered to be used universally makes comparison between cultures difficult so results of van ijzendoorn may not be as useful Children with extended family may show more fluidity in attachment types Healthy mix of secure and insecure when interacting with different caregivers Suggests security of attachment not solely dependent on primary caregiver but is linked to richness of the attachment

Question 25

cultural variations of attachmentAO1

Answer 25

cultural variations van ijzendoorn and kroonenberg - meta analysis of 32 strange situation studies across 8 countries with 1990 children assessed cultural variations on secure, insecure resistant and avoidant percentages findings: UK - 75% secure (highest secure), 22% avoidant, 3% resistant germany - 35% avoidant (highest avoidant percentage) israel - 29% resistant (highest resistant percentage) collectivist cultures = resistant variation within cultures was 1.5X greater than variation between cultures eg: USA study found 46% were securely attached but another study found 90% were secure + similar findings in korea suggests secure is most common so attachment is universal BUT cultures affect attachment type (italy found less secure more resistant - mothers work more etc) BUT issues with imposed etic - test for west not suitable for all (Uk resistant could be translated as independence for germany etc)

Question 26

cultural variations of attachment eval - confounding variables

Answer 26

Confounding variables: Cross cultural research creates confounding variables differences in metholodogy mean meta analysis isnt as accurate social class, poverty or age of participants can act as confounding variables room set up also affects eg: child may explore more if the toys are more interesting (or if room is bigger it may appear as though theyve travelled futher) room size cant be kept constant attachment between countries may not tell us anything about cross-cultural patterns of attachment children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may demonstrate higher rates of insecure attachments not solely due to cultural practices but because of the stressors their caregivers encounter, such as job instability

Question 26

maternal deprivation AO1

Answer 26

maternal deprivation maternal deprivation = emotional/intellectual consequences of separation of baby and mother prolonged separation hinders development separation = short term not with PCG but deprivation = ridden of emotional care over time critical period of 2.5 years - deprivation of mothers care led to poor development deprivation can lead to delayed intellectual development eg lower IQ scores in children who experienced prolonged institutional care compared to those fostered (emotional) affects emotional development - affectionless psychopathy = inability to express guilt (lack remorse) bowlbys 44 thieves study: 44 delinquents accused of stealing interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy family interviewed for prolonged seperation sample compared to control of 44 emotionally disturbed teenagers - not delinquents found 14/44 are affectionless psychopaths and 12/14 had prolonged seperation only 2 ppts in control group experienced separations concluded deprivation -> affectionless psychopathy

Question 27

maternal deprivation eval - based on flawed evidence

Answer 27

Based on flawed evidence: bowlby carried out research himself - assessments + family interviews creates bias as bowlby knew aims of research and could have skewed the data to support his research + knew in advance which teenagers he predicted to be affectionless psychopaths bowlby was influenced by goldfarbs research on intelligence development in orphanages those children experienced trauma and prolonged seperation so his results arent generalisable therefore conclusions drawn from them are no longer credible BUT levy found seperating baby rats from mother for a day affected social development therefore maternal deprivation has concrete evidence aside from bowlby or goldfarb

Question 28

institutionalisms effects AO1

Answer 28

rutter et al - followed 165 romanian orphans who had been adopted by parents in the UK physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed at intervals between 4 and 25 control group = 52 british children adopted around the same time findings: upon arrival, children were undernourished and showed intellectual delay at 11 years old: mean IQ of children adopted before 6 months was 102 6 months to 2 years was IQ of 86 (showed disinhibited attachment like attention seeking/clinginess) after 2 years was IQ of 77 disinhibited attachment = due to orphans being under many carers for short amounts of time - cant form a secure attachment intellectual disability = damage to intellectual development can be overcome through adoption before 6 months zeanah et als research: assessed attachment in 95 romanian children 12-31 months whose attachment type was determined through strange situation. Children exhibited higher rates of disinhibited attachment and lower rates of secure attachment, indicative of emotional disturbances stemming from institutionalisation

Question 28

maternal deprivation eval - critical period may not be important

Answer 28

Critical period may not be important: bowlby states if an attachment doesnt form in first 2.5 years of life (crit period) then attachment wont occur and damage was inevitable evidence that aftercare can restore development in a child koluchova - czech twin studies suffered severe physical/emotional abuse from 18 months to 7 years old despite emotional damage, aftercare meant they recovered fully by their teens therefore harm isnt lasting and can be fixed with the right care - critical period not the be all and end all idea of a sensiitve period instead Ethnocentric theory: Based on western mother child attachments But collectivist cultures have children raised by extended families with multiple attachments that can be substituted for the PCG Bolbys theory not universal

Question 28

maternal deprivation eval - may have confused privation with deprivation

Answer 28

may have confused privation with deprivation: rutter: deprivation = loss of primary attachment figure after attachment has formed privation = attachment never formed in the first place eg: children brought up in orphanages rutter suggests the severe long term implications bowlby found may be due to privation -not deprivation goldfarbs research proved privation not deprivation + a lot of the delinquents in bowlbys research had disrupted early lives so may not have formed attachments at all may have overestimated seriousness of effects caused by deprivations on chidrens development linked to hilda who studied 500 young people and found no relationship between seperation and criminality therefore 44 thieves study proved privation not maternal deprivation

Question 29

institutionalisms effects eval - real world applications

Answer 29

Real world applications: application to improve conditions for children growing up outside of their homes increased awareness of effects of institutionalism on development so can prevent this helped improved conditions within the care system eg: more carers are assigned to the children (smaller groups) children have 1-2 key workers who promote emotional development reduction in children in institutional care as a result greater effort to put children into foster homes or be adopted reduces number of children with disinhibited attachment and poor emotional/intellectual development Research highlights importance of early intervention via a longitudinal study BUT socially sensitive as children may be treated differently now that people around them are aware of their lowered intellectual ability etc

Question 29

institutionalisms effects eval - no confounding variables

Answer 29

No confounding variables: many of the children studied in orphanage studies before experienced different levels of trauma difficult to figure out what factors caused slower development etc romanian orphan study had fewer confounding variables children taken away from loving parents who couldnt afford them - no trauma increases internal validity as upbringing was only factor affecting development BUT institutions were overwhelmed so introduction of confounding variables Children received poor quality of care in these institutions - lackied intellectual stimulation and comfort Which could have contributed to observed harmful effect instead of institutions in itself caution is needed in attributing observed effects solely to institutional care without considering other variables.

Question 30

influence of early attachment on later relationships AO1

Answer 30

internal working model - childs first primary attachment influences all future relationships poor relationships with parent may lead to insecure resistant or avoidant attachment such as controlling behaviour in relationships childhood relationships: securely attached babies form best quality childhood relationships vs insecure who have friendship issues (kerns) wilson and smith: observed 196 london children aged 7-11 secure were least likely to be bullied or be bullies insecure avoidant = victims insecure resistant = bullies adult relationships: hazan and shaver - love quiz placed in american newspaper assessing attachment types, current relationships and attitudes towards relationships with 620 responses positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences (secure= understanding and loving relationships vs insecure = jealous or feared intimacy)

Question 30

institutionalisms effects eval - no adulthood data

Answer 30

No adulthood data: monitored orphans in their early 20s but not beyond then no data to prove the long term impacts of institutionalism on adult life eg: ability to integrate into society properly, forming loving, or parental relationships it will take a lot of time to uncover this evidence due to longitudinal nature of the study however, future results could change conclusions entirely possible that IQ of the children adopted after 6 months or 2 years may have increased as much as the control due to environmental factors and caught up mental problems may also affect lives of the orphans in the future Affected by individual differences: Certain children struggled to integrate into society even if they were adopted before 6 months Quality of care received or childs temperament could have affected results

Question 31

influence of early attachment on later relationships eval- research support

Answer 31

Research support: fearon and roismons analysis of studies found - early attachment consistently predicts later development and relationships Secure attachment predicts favourable future outcomes, while disorganised attachment correlates strongly with later mental health issues BUT not all evidence supports the link between early attachment and development many studies lack evidence of continuity of early attachment affecting development They found no evidence of continuity between early attachment and attachment at age 16 other factors may be affecting development instead pessimistic view as people may feel a poor attachment as a child is their fault and now all relationships are disturbed but can intervene instead and help

Question 32

influence of early attachment on later relationships eval - confounding variables

Answer 32

Confounding variables: correlation doesn't equal causation temperament such as genetically influenced personality could affect development rather than attachment type parenting style can also impact future relationships/development family structure and living conditions also affect development even if the child is securely attached, poverty could change direction of a person attachment styles can change in life eg: child having positive caregiving environment later in life highlights the importance of contextual factors and personal experiences in shaping relationships

Question 33

influence of early attachment on later relationships eval -reliant on retrospective classification

Answer 33

Reliant on retrospective classification: most studies are not longitudinal so dont follow the same person from infancy through to adulthood researchers usually ask participants about their relationship with peers or family reliant on honest and accurate perception of ppts of their relationship - social desirability may mean participants arent honest to prevent embarrassment at attachment type ppts may merge relationship as a child with relationship as an adult, reducing validity of findings due to confounding variables and lack of transparency

Question 34

influence of early attachment on later relationships eval - Cultural variations

Answer 34

Cultural variations: in some collectivist cultures, familial interdependence plays a more critical role than individual romantic attachments, which might change how early attachments influence adult relationships. This variability challenges the universality of attachment theory, suggesting a need for more culturally sensitive research that considers how different cultural backgrounds influence attachment and relationship dynamics