Influence Of Early Attachment On Later Relationships Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is the internal working model
-A mental model of an infants relationship with their primary caregiver that acts as a template for what future relationships will look.
What is the continuity hypothesis
-The relationship you have with your caregiver in childhood influences the relationships that you form in the future
What research did Hazan and Shaver (1987) conduct
Research into relationships in adulthood (romantic reationships)
Aim of Hazan and Shaver’s study (1987)
-To test the association between early attachment and adult relationships (continuity hypothesis)
Procedure of Hazan and Shaver’s study (1987)
-They analysed 620 replies to a ‘love quiz’ printed in an American local newspaper (volunteer Sample). It contained 99 questions split into three Sections:
-1st section - current relationship
-2nd section- general love experiences (views on relationships)
-3rd section- attachment type in infancy.
Findings of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) study
-56% were identified as securely attached
-25% insecure avoidant
-19% insecure resistant
(These findings are similar to that of AInsoworth’s original findings)
-Those that were securely attached were most likely to have longer lasting romantic experiences.
-Those with an insecure resistant attachment in infancy were likely to fall in love more easily but had difficulty finding true love
-Those that had an insecure avoidant attachment in infancy didn’t perceive love to be necessary for happiness.
Conclusion of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) study
-Attachment type is reflected in romantic relationships, showing support for the internal working model in the does that your early experiences with caregivers can affect later relationships.
Who conducted research into relationships in childhood
Myron- Wilson and Smith(1998)
Describe Myron-Wilson and Smith’s study (1998)
-Assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using questionnaires in 196 children aged 7-11 years old from London. Securely attached children were very unlikely to be involved in bullying. Insecure avoidant children were most likely to be the victims of bullying and insecure resistant children were most likely to be the bully.
Supports the idea that there is a continuity between early attachment styles and the quality of childhood relationships.
Who conducted research into relationships in adulthood as parents
Bailey et al (2007)
Describe Bailey et al’s study (2007) into relationships in adulthood as parents
-Looked at the attachment of 99 mothers to their babies and to their own mothers. Mother- baby attachment was assessed using an adult attachment interview. The majority of women had the same attachment classification both to their babies and their own mothers.
-This supports the internal working model
Evaluation of research into the influence of early attachment on later relationships
-Support for Bowlby’s internal working model
-Rely on retrospective classification (but self report is conscious but the internal working model is not)
-Correlational study
-overly deterministic
Who provides support for the internal working model
Bailey et al (2007)
Criticism of internal working model
-Too deterministic- assumes that early experiences have a fixed effect on later adult relationships E.G everyone that is insecurely attached is ‘doomed’ to experience emotionally unsatisfactory relationships. This is very socially sensitive towards those who do have this attachment type and could possible create a self fulfilling prophecy when this is not the case- much research has proved this idea wrong. E.G Stall et al (2008) found no evidence of continuity of attachment type from age 1 to 16 years.
-This suggests that Bowlby overemphasises the importance of the internal working model in development and its is not clear how strongly attachment influences later life.
Who criticises the internal working model
Stall et al
This suggests that Bowlby overemphasises the importance of the internal working model in development and its is not clear how strongly attachment influences later life.
Does Hazan and Shaver’s study establish cause and effect?
NO
-It is a correlational study. This means it cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship between early attachment styles and adult romantic behavior.
-The study found a link between the two- but does not prove that early attachment directly causes patterns in later relationships.
-Other factors—such as individual personality traits, significant life events, or later social experiences—could also influence romantic outcomes.
-Because these alternative explanations are not controlled for, the study has low internal validity, making it difficult to determine whether early attachment is the key factor shaping adult romantic behaviour and making the findings open to multiple interpretations.
What issues could of possible arised in Hazan and shaver’s study due to its reliance on retrospective classification and self report techniques
-Participants were asked to reflect on and report their early attachment experiences from childhood, often many years later. = problematic because human memory is not always accurate—memories can become distorted over time or influenced by current emotions and experiences.
-As a result, participants may not accurately recall their childhood relationships with caregivers, leading to incorrect attachment classifications.
-Self-report methods rely on conscious awareness -according to Bowlby, the internal working model operates at an unconscious level. This means individuals may not be fully aware of how their early experiences shape their current relationship behavior, and therefore cannot report on them accurately. Since interviews and questionnaires can only access what participants are consciously aware of, the data collected may not reflect the true nature of their early attachments.
-This significantly weakens the validity of the study’s findings, as its conclusions are based on potentially inaccurate or incomplete information.
