Relationships in later childhood

Question 1

What type of attachment is said to go on to form the best quality childhood friendships?

Answer 1

Securely attached infants tend to go on to form the best quality childhood friendships, whereas insecurely attached infants later have friendship difficulties (Kerns 1994)

Question 2

What did Gerard McCarthy do?

Answer 2

Gerard McCarthy (1999) studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were infants to establish their early attachment type

Question 3

What were the findings from McCarthy’s study?

Answer 3

Those assessed as securely attached infants had the best adult friendships and romantic relationships. Adults classed as insecure-resistant as infants had particular problems maintaining friendships whilst those classed as insecure-avoidant struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships

Question 4

What experiment did Hazan and Shaver conduct?

Answer 4

Conducted a classic study of the association between attachment and adult relationships.
They analysed 620 replies to a ‘love quiz’ printed in an American local newspaper. The quiz has three sections. The first assessed respondents’ current or most important relationship. The second part assessed general love experiences such as number of partners. The third section assessed attachment type by asking respondents to choose which of three statements best described their feelings.

Question 5

What were the findings from Hazan and Shaver’s study?

Answer 5

56% if respondents were identified as securely attached with 25% insecure-avoidant and 19% insecure-resistant. Those reporting secure attachments were the most likely to have good and longer lasting romantic experiences. The avoidant respondents tended to reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy. These findings suggest that patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in romantic relationships.