Attachment

Question 1

what is meant by interactional synchrony?

Answer 1

when the caregiver and baby reflect both actions and emotions of one and other in a coordinated way

Question 2

what is reciprocity?

Answer 2

a description of how two people interact e.g. care giver and infant respond and elicit a response from each other. Babies have alert phases when they signal that they are ready for interaction, e.g. eye contact. Research shows mother pick up on this 2/3 of the time. From three months this becomes more common

Question 3

what research was done on interactional synchrony

Answer 3

Meltzoff and Moore observed the beginning of interactional synchrony

• babies as young as 2 weeks old
• adult displayed one of three gestures or distinctive movements
• babies response was filmed and labelled by observers
• findings showed babies expressions and gestures were more likely to mirror adults more than chance would predict, significant association

Question 4

what is the first stage of Schaffer’s attachment?

Answer 4

1) asocial stage:
- first few weeks,
- observable behavior between inmate objects and humans is similar
- however slight preference for company of familiar people

Question 5

what is the second stage of Schaffer’s attachment?

Answer 5

indiscriminate attachment:

• 2-7 months
• clear preference for being with other humans rather than imamate objects
• recognize and prefer the company of familiar people
• will accept comfort from any person, no stranger anxiety or separation anxiety

Question 6

what is the third stage in Schaffer’s attachment?

Answer 6

specific attachment:

• 7-12 months
• stranger and separation anxiety is present
• classic signs of attachment to one particular person (primary attachment figure, specific attachment), the babies mother in 65% of cases

Question 7

what is the forth stage of Schaffer’s attachment?

Answer 7

Multiple attachments:

• after showing attachment to one person they usually extend to other people who they spend most their time with (multiple attachments), and those people are called secondary attachments
• 29% of children formed a secondary attachment within a month of forming a primary one
• 1+ years old

Question 8

what did research was the Schaffer’s stages of attachment based on?

Answer 8

procedure: Schaffer and Emerson:
-60 babies: 31 boys and 29 girls
-all were from Glasgow, and most of them were from working class families
-researchers visited the babies once every month for a year then 18 months after that
-researchers asked the mothers questioner bout the kind of protest the babies showed in 7 everyday separations, a measure of separations anxiety
-researcher also measured stranger anxiety
findings:
Schaffer and Emerson identified four clear stages in the results of the babies

Question 9

Describe Lorenz’s research on imprinting

Answer 9

-randomly divided a large clutch of goose eggs, half were hatched with the mother goose in their natural environment and half were hatched in an incubator, the first moving object they saw being Lorenz

findings-

• incubator group followed Lorenz, and control group followed their mother
• same happened even when the two groups were mixed
• imprinting occurred, bird species that are immobile at birth follow the first moving object they see
• Lorenz identified a critical period for this to take place (varies on species) can be as brief as 2 hours after birth. If imprinting did no occur at that time then Lorenzo found the chicks didn’t attach themselves to a mother at all

Question 10

Describe Harlow’s research on animals

Answer 10

-reared 16 baby monkeys with two wire model monkeys, one cloth, one without but provides milk
-findings:
baby monkeys cuddled the cloth once with preference to the wire ones
-sought comfort from the cloth monkey when frightened (e.g. by noisy mechanical teddy bear)
-this shows ‘contact comfort’ is more important than food when coming to attachment

Question 11

what research was done by Lorenzo on sexual imprinting?

Answer 11

• Lorenz observed that birds that imprinted on humans would later display courtship behavior towards humans
• a peacock was reared in a zoo containing giant tortoises, and Lorenzo observed that later the peacock would only show courtship towards giant tortoises. This concluded that the peacock had undergone sexual imprinting

Question 12

what is ‘the Strange Situation’?

Answer 12

• a controlled observation designed to measure the security of attachment a baby displays towards a caregiver
• takes place in a room with quite controlled conditions i.e. laboratory, with a two way mirror and/or cameras through which psychologists can observe behavior

Question 13

what behaviors are used to judge attachment? (strange situation)

Answer 13

• proximity seeking; (good quality attachment baby will stay fairly close to the care giver
• exploration and secure base behavior
• stranger anxiety
• separation anxiety
• response to reunion

Question 14

what are the seven stages of the strange situation procedure?

Answer 14

1) baby is encouraged to explore: tests exploration and secure base
2) a stranger comes in, talks to the care giver and approaches the baby- tests stranger anxiety
3) caregiver leaves the baby and the stranger together- test stranger anxiety and separation anxiety
4) the care giver returns and the stranger leaves (tests reunion and explore base behavior)
5) the care giver leaves the baby alone- tests separation anxiety
6) the stranger returns- tests stranger anxiety
7) the caregiver returns and is reunited with the baby - tests reunion behavior

Question 15

describe secure attachment as an explanation for attachment.

Answer 15

• explore happily but go back to the care giver regularly (secure base behavior and proximity seeking)
• moderate separation distress and stranger anxiety
• require and accept comfort from caregiver in reunion
• 60-75% of British babies are securely attached

Question 16

describe insecure avoidant as a type of attachment.

Answer 16

• explore freely but do no seek proximity or show secure base behavior
• little to no separation or stranger anxiety
• make little effort to connect with the caregiver as they are reunited
• 20-25% British babies

Question 17

describe insecure resistant as a type of attachment

Answer 17

• seek greater proximity than others and therefore explore less
• high levels or stranger and separation distress
• resist comfort when united with caregiver
• 3% of brutish babies

Question 18

what is maternal deprivation?

Answer 18

the emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and his/her mother/ mother substitute

Question 19

when’s the critical period? (maternal deprivation)

Answer 19

• the first 2 and a half years of life
• Bowlby believes psychological damage is inevitable if the child becomes deprived from emotional support or prolonged separation in this stage. He also believed that there is a risk up to the age of five

Question 20

what is the effect of intellectual development (maternal deprivation)

Answer 20

-Bowlby believed that extended deprivation would lead to delayed intellectual development characterized by abnormally low IQ
-Goldfarb discovered tat children that were institutionalized typically had a lower IQ than children that were put into foster care, (higher levels of emotional support)
-

Question 21

what is the effect of emotional development on children (maternal deprivation)

Answer 21

-affectionless psychopathy (inability to experience guilt or strong emotion towards others)
-prevents a person from fulfilling relationships and can lead them down a path of criminality)
-lack remorse
STUDY
-44 criminals accused of stealing
-interviewed about signs of affectionless psychopathy
-the family was also interviewed to establish whether the criminals had prolonged separation’s at a young age
-the sample was compared to a control groups of 44 non criminal but emotionally disturbed young people
-14 of the 44 could be described as psychopaths and 12 of them had separations from thier mothers in the critical period
-only 5 of the remaining 30 thieves had separation
- only 2 of the control group had separations
-he concluded that long separation can lead to psychopathy

Question 22

research to prove importance of interactional synchrony: (can be used as a strength for developmental importance of care giver infant interaction)

Answer 22

-30 mother and babies together assessed degree of synchrony, and also mother-baby attachment. They found high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-baby attachment

Question 23

strengths care giver-infant interactions

Answer 23

+observations were filmed in a lab. means that extraneous variables could be controlled. Researchers could review clips later to ensure they did not miss anything. This can also establish inter-rater reliability. Demand characteristics are also not present as babies do not know they are being observed. Therefore good reliability and validity
+COUNTERPOINT to no tell of importance: Evidence from other lines of research to tell us importance of early interactions. E.g. research found interactional synchrony predicted development of a good quality attachment. This means care giver interaction is most likely important in development

Question 24

limits of care giver interactions

Answer 24

-Hard to interpret babies behavior. Immobile bodies that lack coordination, and it is hard to tell if it is a smile or passing wind. We also cannot get the babies perspective. This means we cannot be certain the behaviors we are seeing in CG-I interactions have a special meaning
-observing a behavior does not tell us its developmental importance. Ideas like synchrony only give names to observable patterns and are so reliably observed but may not be important in child development as it does not teach us the purpose of these behaviors. This means we cannot be certain from observational research alone that reciprocity and synchrony are important for a childs development

Question 25

strengths of schaffers stages of attachment

Answer 25

+good external validity: Reports from mothers rather than researchers as they observed them in everyday activities, researchers may have caused anxiety or distractions. This means its highly likely the Ps behaved naturally
+RW application in daycare: In asocial and indiscriminate stage day care is likely to be straight forwards as babies can be comforted by any adult. Research tells us that starting daycare with an unfamiliar adult may be problematic during the specific attachment stage. This means parents daycare use can be planned trough stages of attachment

Question 26

limits of schaffers stages of attachment

Answer 26

-COUNTER to mother observation: issues with asking mother to be the observer. They are unlikely to be objective observers. There may have been bias in what they noticed or reported. This means their behavior may have not been accurately recorded.
-low validity for asocial stage assessment. Immobile babies means it may be tricky for mothers to observe anxiety, as they may display it in subtle ways. This means that babies may actually be social, but because of flawed methods, perceive asocial

Question 27

research on attachment to fathers:

Answer 27

-Schaffer and Emerson found that only 3% of cases the sole object of attachment was the father. In 27% of cases, the father was the joint sole attachment object with the mother.
-75% of babies studies formed an attachment with fathers by the end of 18 months. This was determined as babies protested when their father walked away

Question 28

Distinctive role of father (whether the attachment hold specific value in the development) research:

Answer 28

Longitudinal study where babies attachments were studies until they were teens. Mothers and fathers attachment was studies, but research found that quality of attachment to mothers but not fathers related to attachments in adolescence. This suggests fathers attachment is less important.
-he also found however that quality of play related to quality of adolescent attachments. Suggests fathers have a different role than mothers-less to do with emotional development and more to do with play

Question 29

research on fathers as the primary care giver/ attachment:

Answer 29

-filmed four month olds in face to face interactions with primary mothers, and secondary and primary fathers. The primary caregivers for both showed signs of interactional synchrony and reciprocity than secondary. This means fathers have the potential to be more emotion focused attachment figures but only express this when they are primary caregivers

Question 30

Role of the father: limits

Answer 30

-research lack clarity over question ‘what is the role of the father’. Some may mean what is their role as secondary attachment and some may mean priamry. Former have tended to see fathers behaving differently from mothers, and latter have found they can take on the maternal role. This makes it difficult to answer the question as it depends on what role is being discussed
-sidings vary according to methodology used. Studies that have shown fathers play a different role conflict with single mother or lesbian families as it suggests their child will turn out a diff way than heterosexual families. Studies have shown they do not develop differently. This leaves the question un answered

Question 31

Role of the father strengths:

Answer 31

+counterpoint to conflicting evidence:
The evidence may not be in conflict. It may suggest that they simply adapt to take on the fathers role instead.
+real world application: can be used to offer advice to parents. arguements over who should have the primary role are present as mothers may feel the pressure to stay at home. Fathers may be pressured to take on work. In some families this may not be the economically best solution. Research can be used as reassuring advice, e.g. fathers can be reassured it is possible for them to be the primary attachment figure. homosexual relationships can be informed it is okay for them not to have a father. This means parentla role anxiety can be reduced

Question 32

maternal deprivation observation on monkeys as adults (Harlow)

Answer 32

-further research to see if maternal deprivation had a permanent effect showed sever consequences. Monkeys reared with wire- most dysfunctional. Cloth reared ones were also aggressive, worse at mating, and when they became mothers sometimes neglected or even killed their offspring.

Question 33

what is the critical period?

Answer 33

Identified by Lorenz and harlow: mother had to be introduced to monkey within 90 days to attach, and after damage was irrevisble. Lorenz observed this for imprinting too. (first objects birds see)

Question 34

strength of Lorenz’s study

Answer 34

+research support for concept of imprinting: Chicks were exposed to a simple shape that moved. When a range of shapes were placed in front of them they followed the original most closely. This supports view that young animals are born with innate mechanism to imprint on a moving object present in critical window

Question 35

limit of Lorenz’s study

Answer 35

-generalized findings application to humans. Mammalian attachment system is different and more complicated than birds. Two way process for mammals. This means it is not appropriate to generalize his ideas

Question 36

strength to Harlows study

Answer 36

+ RWA: helped professionals understand that a lack of bonding experience may be a risk factor in a childs development allowing them to prevent poor outcomes. We also understand the importance of attachment figures for monkeys in zoos. This means his research value is not just theoretical, but also practical

Question 37

limit of Harlows study

Answer 37

-generalized fidings to humans. Although it is much more close than birds, human behavior is still much more complex than monkeys. This means it might not be appropriate to generalize his ideas.

Question 38

what does the learning theory of attachment state?

Answer 38

emphasis of role of learning in behavior. It includes classical and operant conditioning. It emphasized the importance of attachment figures as a provider of food.

Question 39

classical conditioning in attachment:

Answer 39

-care giver= neutral stimulus. conditioned stimulus once the baby associated the person with food.
-pleasure when eating= unconditioned response.
-food= unconditioned stimulus
-once conditioning has taken place the sight of the caregiver produced a conditioned response of pleasure.

Question 40

operant conditioning attachment:

Answer 40

-can explain why babies cry for comfort. The behavior is reinforced as they get a positive consequence from it. There is also negative reinforcement from the caregiver. They escape from the unpleasant situation. This mutual reinforcement strengthens the attachment

Question 41

is attachment a primary or secondary drive (learning theory)

Answer 41

-secondary: hunger is primary, as caregiver provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalized. So attachment is a secondary drive learned by association

Question 42

strength of the learning theory of attachment

Answer 42

+conditioning may still play a role in attachment. although food association may not play a role, association of warm and comfort in the presence of a particular adult may influence the babies choice in their primary attachment figure. This means learning theory may still be useful in understanding the development of attachment figures.

Question 43

limits of learning theory

Answer 43

-lack of support from animal studies. Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first object they saw rearguards from food. Harlows monkey displayed attachment towards soft mother rather than food. This shows factors other than association with food are important in formation.
-lack of support from babies: Study showed babies formed attachment with mother regardless if she was the one who fed them Another study found high levels of interactional synchrony predicted attachment quality, and this is not related to food. This suggests food is not the main factor.
-COUNTERPOINT to strength: Learning theory explains that babies play a passive role in attachment, however research has show they play an active role in the interactions. This means that conditioning may not be an adequate explanation

Question 44

bowlbys theory of monotropy:

Answer 44

Bowlby emphasizes attachment to one caregiver in particular, and he believes this attachment is more important and different. Bowlby believed that the more time this fidure spent with the mother, the better.

Question 45

two principles bowlby put forward to clarify his point:

Answer 45

-law on continuity: stated that the more consistent and predictable a childs care, the better quality their attachment is.
-law of accumulated separation: the effects of every seperation from the mother add up- therefore the safest dose is a zero dose

Question 46

what are social releasers?

Answer 46

-innate cute behaviors from babies that encourage attention. Makes an adult attach to the baby. The interplay gradually increases the attachment between mother and baby.

Question 47

What is the critical period? (bowlby)

Answer 47

first six months- when the attachment system is active. Sensitive period. If an attachment is not formed in this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later. This is for humans

Question 48

describe the internal working model (bowlby)

Answer 48

-our mental representations of the world. Example: the rep we have of our relationship with our primary attachment figure. This model affects our future relationships because it carries our perception of what relationships are like

Question 49

strengths of bowlbys monotropic theory:

Answer 49

+evidence to support social releases to get attention of adults. Babies who’s social releases were ignored became distressed or motionless. This illustrates the role of social releasers in emotional development and suggests that they are important in the process of attachment development
+support for internal working model: study on relationship with 99 mothers and one year old babies showed that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies. This supports internal working model’s idea that it influences

Question 50

types of attachment- strange situation strengths

Answer 50

+outcome predicts a number of aspects in babies later development- research has shown that babies assessed as type B tend to have better outcomes than others. In childhood this includes things such as less bullying, and better mental health in adult hood. Those assessed as insecure resistant attachment or not falling into any types have worse outcomes. This suggests it is meaningful in babies development.
+good inter rater reliability. researcher tested between raters and found 94% agreement of cases. This high level of IRR may be because it takes place under controlled conditions and behaviors involve large movements that are easy to observe. This means we can confirm attachment type as assessed by SS does not depend on subjective judgement.

Question 51

types of attachment- strange situation limits

Answer 51

• counterpoint to good prediction of later outcome: clearly measures something important, but not all psychologist believe it is attachment. Example: Researcher suggested that genetically influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behavior in SS and later development. This means SS may not actually measure attachment
  -may not be valid due to cultural contexts. SS was developed in US and UK. May be culture bound. Babies have diff experiences in cultures that may affect their reaction to the SS. E.g. Japanese study found babies had high levels of separation anxiety and so a disproportionate number were classified as insecure resistant. This was not due to attachment security but was due to lack of separation in that culture. This means it is difficult to know what SS is measuring when used outside Europe and the US

Question 52

maternal deprivation theory strength:

Answer 52

+counterpoint to poor evidence quality:
new line of research has provided some support for the idea that maternal deprivation can have long term effects: Researchers showed that separating baby rats from their mother for as little as a day had permanent effects on their social development but not other aspects. This means that although he relied on flawed evidence, there are other sources of evidence that support his ideas.

Question 53

maternal deprivation theory limits:

Answer 53

-poor quality evidence: 44 thieves study is flawed as bowlby carries out both family interviews and assessments for affection less psychopathy. Other sources such as research on orphans was also flawed and influenced by Bowlby. This study has confounding variables as the children had experienced early trauma as well as prolonged separation. This means his evidence cannot be taken seriously.
- confusion between different types of early experience: Rutter drew an important distinction. Deprivation refers to loss of primary attachment figure after attachment has developed. Privation is failure to form an attachment. Severe long term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation is more likely to be a result of privation. This can also be evident in 44 thieves study. This means he underestimated seriousness of the effects of deprivation in childrens development.
-idea of critical period: Bowlby suggested damage would occur if attachment was not formed in critical period. However evidence suggests good aftercare can prevent most of this damage. E.g. abused twins who recovered fully in teens due to good aftercare after abuse of 18 months. This means lasting harm is not inevitable even in cases of severe privation. The critical period should be sensitive instead

Question 54

procedure of cultural variation study by researchers

Answer 54

-data between 32 strange situation studies to measure attachment types in different cultures- eight countries (15 studies from US) were meta analysed.

Question 55

Findings of cultural variation studies by researchers

Answer 55

• in all countries, secure attachment was the most common. But this proportion varied from 75% in UK to 50% in China. In individualistic cultures, rates of insecure resistant were similar to Ainsworths original sample. This was not true for collectivist cultures. Rates were about 25%. Variations studies between cultures were 150% lower than within cultures.

Question 56

Italian study on cultural variation of attachment:

Answer 56

• comparison of newer and older studies (strange situation) 76 babies aimed 12 months- showed increase in insecure avoidant attachment and decrease in secure attachment. This is suggested to be due to increase of mothers working with younger children. This suggests that patterns of attachment vary over cultural change

Question 57

Korean study on cultural variation:

Answer 57

comparison of proportions of attachment types in korea to other studies (strange situation) 87 babies- Overall proportions were similar with most babies being secure. However more insecure attachments were resistant, only one being avoidant. This is similar finding to Japan, similarity may be explained due to similarities in child rearing styles

Question 58

conclusion to cultural variations in attachment:

Answer 58

Secure seems to be the norm in most cultures, supporting Bowlbys idea that attachment is in age and universal, but research also shows cultural practice does have an affect on attachment type

Question 59

Strength of cultural variation research:

Answer 59

+most studies were conducted by indigenous researchers, those from the same cultural backgrounds as the participants. This means that many of the problems in cross cultural research can be avoided, such as mid understanding of language or having difficult communicating instructions to them. Stereotypes can also create bias. This means it enhanced validity of study

Question 60

Limitations of cultural variations studies-

Answer 60

• COUNTER to strength: Not true in all research. Some studies e.g. outsiders from america in Zaire. Their data may have been affected by difficulties in gathering data forms Ps outside their own culture. This means there may have been some bias in cross culture examinations.
  -Confounding variables: studies compared are not usually matched for methodology. Sample characteristics such as poverty and social class can confound results. Environmental variables such as amount of toys or size of room could also create variables. This means non matched studies may not tell us about cross cultural patterns of attachment
  -Trying to impose a test designed for one cultural context to another can be tricky. Imposed etic occurs when we assume an idea or technique that works in one cultural context will work in another. Example: babies response to reunion in SS. May be interpreted as insecurity in Uk but independence in germany if they lack affection on reunion. Therefore this part may not work in Germany. This means behaviours measured by SS may not have the same meanings in different cultural contexts, comparing them is meaningless

Question 61

what were the Romanian orphan studies?

Answer 61

research on maternal deprivation and affects of institutional care after romania required woman to have five children in the 1990s and they could not afford to keep them all.

Question 62

rutter et als procedure (institutionalization)

Answer 62

followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans for many years as part of the English-Romanian adoptee study. Orphans had been adopted by families in the UK. The aim was to measure the extent good care could make up for poor early life experiences. Physical, emotional and cognitive development had been assessed at ages 4 6 11 15 and 22-25. Control group of 52 UK adoptees were compared.

Question 63

what is institutionalization

Answer 63

effects of living in an institutional setting

Question 64

rutter et als findings (institutionalization)

Answer 64

when they first arrived in UK: 1/2 showed delayed intellectual development and majority were severely malnourished. At age 11: showed differential rates of recovery that were related to their age. The mean IQ of those adopted before age of 6 months: 102. 86 for two years and 77 for after two years. ADHD was more common in 15 and 22-25 samples. Attachment depended on age of adoption- after six months displayed disinhibited attachment with symptoms such as attention seeking, clinginess, social behavior directed indiscriminately towards adults. Those adopted before 6 months rarely showed this attachment type

Question 65

zeanah et al’s research procedure (institutionalization)

Answer 65

conducted BEI project: assessing attachment in 95 Romanian children ages 12-31 months who spent most of their lives in institutional care. Compared to a control group who had never lived in an institution. Measured using Strange Situation. Carers were also asked about unusual social behavior that matched dis inhibited attachment

Question 66

zeanah et al’s research findings (institutionalization)

Answer 66

74% of control were classed as securely attached while only 19% of institutional group were. disinhibited applied to 44% of I and 20% of controls

Question 67

effects of institutionalization- disinhibited attachment

Answer 67

children who have spent their early lives in institutions often show symptoms of disinhibited attachment- being equally friendly between unfamiliar and familiar adults which diverts from usual stranger anxiety. Rutter explained this as an adaption for living with multiple caregivers but not being able to form a secure attachment with them.

Question 68

effects of institutionalization- intellectual disability

Answer 68

Most children showed signs of this when they first came to the UK. However most adopted before six months of before caught up before 4 years. Therefore it appears that just like emotional development, damage to intellectual development can be recovered if adoption takes place six months or before- when attachment takes place.

Question 69

strengths of orphan studies:

Answer 69

+RWA: application for improvement of child’s life after institutions. Improve understanding of effects of early care and how to prevent the effects. This has lead to improvements in conditions for children in care systems. They tend to have less workers that look after an individual who play a central role in their emotional care. Institutions are now seen as an undesirable option for looked after children. This means children in institutional care have a chance to develop normal attachments and desinhibiréis attachment is avoided.
+lack of confounding variables: Many studies before Romanian orphans were available had children that had experienced trauma and it is difficult to disentangle the effects of neglect and abuse etc from institutional care. However children in Romanian orphans were held by living parents that could not afford to keep them. This means results were much less likely to be confounded by other negative early experiences- higher internal validity.

Question 70

limits of orphan studies :

Answer 70

COUNTERPOINT TO LACK OF CV: different confounding variables may have been introduced. The poor quality of the institutions with little comfort for the children may have had effects. This means harmful effects seen in studies of Romanian orphans may represent the effects of poor institutional care rather than the institution itself.
-lack of data on adult development: latest data from ERA study looked at early to mid 20s. This means we do not currently have data to answer some of the most interesting research questions about the LT effects of early institutional care. This may include life time mental health problems and success in maintaining adult romantic and parental relationships. This may take a long time to form due to the longitudinal of the study. This means it will take some time before we know about the full effects, where we may see late adopted children ‘catch up’

Question 71

relationships in childhood- influence of early attachment on later relationships

Answer 71

bullying behavior can be predicted by attachment type. Researchers assessed attachment types of bullying involvement using standard questionnaires in 196 children ages 7-11 from London. Secure children were not very likely to be involved in bullying. Insecure- resistant we’re most likely to be bullies and avoidant were most likely to be victims

Question 72

relationships in adult hood - influence of early attachment on later relationships (internal working model study)

Answer 72

internal working
models effects romantic relationships and parental relationships with your children. One study: 40 adult women who had been assessed when they were a baby to establish their early attachment type. Securely: best adult friendships and romantic relationships. Insecure resistant: problems retaining friendships and avoidant: struggled with intimate relationships.

Question 73

relationships in adult hood - influence of early attachment on later relationships (parental style study)

Answer 73

Study considered attachments of 99 mothers to their babies and to their own mothers. Assessed using Strange Situation and mothers to mothers in an interview. Most mothers matched with their parental attachment types and younger one.

Question 74

strength of studies on early attachment influence on later relationships:

Answer 74

+research support: we have looked at studies linking attachment to later development. Reviews have concluded: early attachment predicts later attachment, emotional well being and attachment to own children. How strong the relationship is between early attachment type and later development depends on attachment type and aspect of later development. Avoidant attachment seems to convey mild disadvantages, disorganized attachment is strongly associated with later mental disorder. This means secure attachment appears to convey advantages while disorganized- disadvantages

Question 75

limits of studies on early attachment influence on later relationships:

Answer 75

COUNTERPOINT to strength: not all evidence supports link between early attachment and later development: longitudinal study followed 43 individuals from 1 year of age. at age 16 attachment was assessed using the adult attachment interview and there was no evidence of continuity. This means the extent to which it effects it is not clear, there may be other factors.
-validity issues with retrospective studies of early attachment: most research’s are not longitudinal. Instead they ask questions about relationship with parents and base it on that. Two validity problems arise: unsure if the person is honest and unsure whether they are assessing early attachment or adult attachment. This means measures of early attachment used in most studies may be confounded with other factors making them meaningless
-existence of confounding variables: Some studies that do assess the attachment early on do also have validity problems because association made with attachment quality and later life may be affected by confounding variables l such as parenting style may influence both. But also genetically influenced factors in personality may also explain this. This means we can never be entirely sure that it is early attachment and not some other factor that is influencing layer development