Hazan and Shaver (1987) The Influence of Early Attachments

Question 1

Results

Answer 1

• The first 620 response were analysed,
• Found that there was a correlation between the type of childhood attachment and people’s later views on romantic love,
• Secure children were more likely to have happy and trustworthy relationships,
• Insecure-avoidant children ended up fearing intimacy and insecure-resistant children were more likely to worry that they weren’t loved in their relationship.

Question 2

Method

Answer 2

• Conducted a ‘love quiz’ in a local newspaper,
• Quiz had two parts,
• The first part assessed the attachment type of each person with their parents,
• The second involved questions asking about their current beliefs about romantic love.

Question 3

Conclusion

Answer 3

• Concluded that their findings provided support for Bowlby’s internal working model; that early attachments do influence adult relationships.

Question 4

Evaluation

Answer 4

• Quiz relied on people thinking back to their childhood, which isn’t always accurate,
• Study used a volunteer sample, so a certain type of person might be more likely to respond,
• People may have answered untruthfully to show themselves in a better light,
• They did repeat the study in 2003, and found similar results.