3. Attachment EQs Flashcards
Explain the role of the internal working model in Bowlby’s monotropic theory of
attachment. (4 marks)
- attachment to primary caregiver provides a child with a schema of relationships
- the model represents a template of relationship with primary figure and acts as a
template for future relationships - someone with a positive internal working model will become a consistent
caregiver; someone with a negative internal working model will become inconsistent in caregiving - bailey research with 99 mothers
When they were adopted, Cema was 5 months old and Katti was 5 years old.
Their development was then studied for several years.
Using your knowledge of the Romanian orphan studies, explain how Katti’s
development is likely to have differed from Cema’s as they grew older. (6 marks)
- Katti was adopted at five years and therefore any effects may be more severe than the effects on Cema, who was adopted before six months
- lower IQ – Katti may struggle more at school than Cema
- Katti is less likely to be classified as securely attached than Cema
- Katti is more likely to show insecure/disinhibited/disorganised attachment than Cema
- emotional development – Katti may experience more temper tantrums
- lack of internal working model – Katti may have more difficulty interacting with peers, forming close relationships, etc
Briefly explain one economic implication of the findings of research into the role of the
father in attachment. (2 marks)
- increasingly fathers remain at home and therefore contribute less to the economy
- consequently more mothers may return to work and contribute more to the economy
Briefly discuss how researchers might address difficulties encountered when trying to investigate
caregiver-infant interaction. (4 marks)
- Problem of context affecting behaviour – research should take place in natural setting
e.g. child’s home to increase validity. - Most research is observational so bias in observer interpretation – may be countered by using more than one observer.
Explain one reason why it is difficult to draw conclusions about the role of caregiver–infant
interactions in the development of attachment. (2 marks)
- cannot ever show cause and effect
- because it is ethically impossible to manipulate the amount of caregiver-infant interaction
Anya has a 10-month-old son called Ben. Anya sometimes ignores Ben and does not respond when he cries. However, when Anya feels like playing with Ben, she wakes him up, even if he is
soundly asleep.
What type of attachment is Ben likely to show? Explain your answer. (3 marks)
- Ben is likely to be insecurely attached.
- Anya is showing characteristics of insensitive
mothering - because she is responding to her own needs rather than those of Ben.
Abi had a happy, secure childhood with parents who loved her very much. She
now has two children of her own and loves them very much too. The two children make friends easily and are confident and trusting.
Referring to Abi and her family, explain what psychologists have discovered about the internal working model. (6 marks)
- Attachment to primary caregiver provides child with internal working model of relationships
(Bowlby) - Abi’s secure childhood relationships would have ensured a positive internal working model
- The model represents /gives a mental view of relationship with primary figure and acts as a
template for future relationships - Continuity in quality/type of relationship across generations.
- Abi’s understanding of relationships has been carried forward so she now has positive secure relationships with her two children
- Abi’s children use their internal working model of the relationship they have with their mother to inform their interactions with other children – so they make friends easily and are confident
Anca is an orphan who has recently been adopted by a British couple. Before being
adopted, Anca lived in an institution with lots of other children in very poor conditions. Her new parents are understandably concerned about how Anca’s early experiences may affect her in the future.
Use your knowledge of the effects of institutionalisation to advise Anca’s new parents
about what to expect. (5 marks)
- delayed intellectual development/low IQ/problems with concentration – Anca may struggle more at school than other children/may not learn new behaviours, concepts as quickly
- disinhibited attachment – Anca may not know what counts as ‘appropriate’ behaviour towards
strangers - emotional development – Anca may experience more temper tantrums, etc.
- lack of internal working model – Anca may have difficulty interacting with peers, forming close relationships, etc.
- quasi-autism – Anca may have a problem understanding the meaning of social contexts, may
display obsessional behaviour, etc. - credit the idea that Anca may have been adopted before the age of 6 months and therefore any effects may not be as severe/long term had she been adopted later.
- credit the suggestion that effects may be reversed with sensitive parenting.
Identify two infant behaviours that are characteristic of the insecure-resistant
attachment type. (2 marks)
- High or extreme stranger anxiety
- High or extreme separation anxiety
- Resist comfort from the caregiver on reunion
- Explore less
- More clingy.
Outline Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation. (3 marks)
- Bowlby’s use of the term ‘deprivation’
- Effects on development – intellectual, emotional, social, e.g. affectionless psychopathy, delinquency, low IQ
- Critical period – an issue if prolonged separation, if before two and half years (but risk up to 5 years)
and if no substitute available - Internal working model – this can lead to inability to be a good parent
- Continuity hypothesis – if there are prolonged separations then there may be issues into adulthood.
Give box three behaviours that researchers have measured in order to classify
attachment type when using the Strange Situation. (3 marks)
- proximity seeking
- using mother as a safe base
- willingness to explore
- clinginess
- separation anxiety/distress
- stranger anxiety/distress
- reunion behaviour
Some psychologists have criticised the way attachment has been measured or box
studied using the Strange Situation technique because it is not realistic.
Briefly explain two ways the Strange Situation technique might be modified to be
more realistic. (4 marks)
- measure attachment type in the home/a more familiar environment: to improve the ecological validity of the measure of attachment type
- use different caregivers: to get a wider measure of baby’s attachment as most babies in real life have multiple attachments
- make the observations covert: to ensure mother’s behaviours towards infant are more natural
(improve internal validity) - make multiple observations over time as a more realistic assessment of usual attachment type would be achieved.
Lenny is being interviewed for a TV dating show. He describes his approach to
relationships:
“My friends would say I’m scared of commitment and need to settle down. I suppose
they’re right, I’m in my late thirties now. I fall in love constantly but my relationships never last more than a few weeks. My mum left when I was very young, I don’t know if that has something to do with it…”
Explain how, according to attachment research, Lenny’s early experience might have
influenced his later relationships. (4 marks)
- Bowlby’s internal working model – Lenny’s (lack of) early attachment has not provided an adequate template/blueprint for later relationships
- insecure attachments are associated with fear of intimacy/lack of commitment in adult romantic relationships which may explain Lenny’s inability to ‘settle down’
- maternal deprivation theory – disruption to the maternal bond in early life (critical period) leads to later emotional problems – Lenny’s fear of commitment/intimacy
- love quiz
