the influence of early attachment

Question 1

explain a study into the influence of early attachment on relationships

Answer 1

Hazen and Shaver argue an adults relationship type is a continuation of their infant attachment style using Ainsworth’s attachment types
children with a secure attachment will become more socially capable in childhood and adulthood than insecure types due to an effective IWM

Question 2

what does Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation suggest about influence of early attachment on relationships

Answer 2

disrupted attachment with primary caregiver in the critical period will have problems with social, emotional and intellectual development - affecting quality of adult relationships

Question 3

research evidence supporting influence of attachment on relationships

Answer 3

Hazen and Shavers Love Quiz (1987)
procedure: 620 PPs responded to a newspaper love quiz with questions on feelings on romance and categorised PPs adult relationship styles into secure (looked for a balance between closeness and independence), avoidant (avoided intimacy) and anxious (couldn’t cope with independence)
also assessed childhood attachment type
findings: 56% secure, 25% avoidant, 19% anxious
correlation between adult and child attachment types
secure believed love was long-lasting, reported happiness in relationships and lower tendency for divorce
insecure reported more loneliness

Question 4

evaluations of influence of early attachment

Answer 4

+ practical applications - schools can alter IWM of children to address childhood bullying and loneliness to help children achieve relationship stability in later life
- flawed research - correlational cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship between early childhood attachment and later adult relationship style - may be other variables e.g. poverty
- reliance on self-reporting infant relationships reduces validity of research - early attachment may be recalled inaccurately due to reconstructive nature of memory or due to demand characteristics or social desirability bias
- Kagan’s temperament hypothesis suggests infant and adult relationships are linked but are due to an inherited low or high temperament (low distress or high distress) - biological explanation explain the findings that attachment styles are linked across a lifetime but without a need for an IWM
- continuity hypothesis is deterministic - suggests individuals are doomed to repeat types of relationships in adulthood they experienced in infants