Attachment Flashcards
What is attachment
A close emotional relationship between an infant and their caregiver
What will securely attached infants show in different scenarios
A desire to be close to their primary care giver (usually biological mother)
Show distress when they’re separated
Then show pleasure when they’re reunited
What are caregiver-infant interactions involved in
Developing and maintaining the attachment
What is sensitive responsiveness
The caregiver responds appropriately to signals from the infant
What is imitation
The infant copies the caregiver’s actions and behaviour
E.g. Meltzoff and Moore found that infants between 2 and 3 weeks appeared to imitate the facia expressions and hand movements of the experimenter
What is interactional synchrony
Infants react in time with the caregiver’s speech, resulting in a ‘conversation dance’
Condon and Sander provided evidence for this by showing how babies appear to move in time with adult conversations
What is reciprocity/ turn taking
Interaction flows back and forth between the caregiver and infant
What is motherese
The slow, high pitched way of speaking to infants
But there is no evidence that this influences the strength of an attachment between parent and infant
What did Schaffer create
He identified stages in attachment formation
What is the pre-attachment (asocial) phase
During 0 to 3 months of life
Baby learns to separate people from objects but doesn’t have an strong preferences about who cares for it
Behaviour includes crying and smiling to seek attention, this is not directed at anyone in particular
What is the indiscriminate (diffuse) attachment phase
Between 6 weeks and 7 months
Infants starts to clearly distinguish and recognise different people, smiling more at people it knows than at strangers
Still no strong preferences about who cares for it
However, behaviour still includes seeking and being happy to receive attention from anyone
What is the discriminate (single) attachment phase
From 7 to 11 months
Infant becomes able to form a strong attachment with an individual
Shown by being content when that person is around, distressed when they leave and happy when they return
May be scared of strangers and avoid them
What is the multiple attachment phase
From 9 months
Infant can form attachments to many different people
Some attachments may be stronger than others and have different functions e.g. for play or comfort
Baby becomes increasingly more independent
Doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many attachment it can make
Although, Schaffer found that after 18 months, approx 32% of babies that had at least 5 attachments, the original attachment is still the strongest
Method of Schaffer and Emerson’s study on evidence for attachment stages
60 babies were observed in their homes in Glasgow every 4 weeks from birth to about 18 months
Interviews were also conducted with their families
Longitudinal study
Results of Schaffer and Emerson’s study on evidence for attachment stages
Schaffer’s stages of attachment formation were found to occur
Also, at 8 months, 50 of the infants had more than one attachment
About 20 of them either had no attachment with their mother or had a stronger attachment with someone else, even though the mother was always the main carer
Conclusion of Schaffer and Emerson’s study on evidence for attachment stages
Infants form attachments in stages and can eventually attach to many people
Quality of care is important in forming attachments, so the infant may not attach to their mother if other people respond more accurately to its signals
Evaluation of Schaffer and Emerson’s study on evidence for attachment stages
There is now a lot of evidence to support results
However, a limited sample was used
Evidence from interviews and observations may be biased and unreliable
Cross cultural difference that should be considered:
Tronick found that infants in Zaire had strong attachments with their mother by 6 months of age but didn’t have a strong attachments with others, even though they had several carers
How did Schaffer and Emerson find that the attachment between caregiver and infants vary across infants
Found that their mother was the primary attachment for only half the infants
1/3 of infants preferred their father, whilst the rest had their strongest attachment with their grandparents or siblings
How did Goodsell and Meldrum investigate the role of the father in attachment
Conducted study into relationship between infants and their fathers
Found that those with a secure attachment to their mother are also more likely to have a secure attachment to their father
How did Ross et al investigate the role of the father in attachment
Showed that the number of nappies a father changed was positively correlated to the strength of their attachment
Supported by Caldera who found that when the father was involved in care giving activities, they were more likely to develop a stronger attachment with their child
What did Geiger say about the roles of the mother and father
Suggested that a mother’s relationship is primarily nurturant caring whereas a father’s relationship is more focussed around play
Evaluations for the role of the father: Why don’t fathers generally become primary attachments?
Possibly because of traditional gender roles
Oestrogen - higher levels of nurturing and therefore women are biologically pre-disposed to be primary attachment figures
Positive evaluation for stages of attachment: good external validity
The study was conducted in ppt’s own homes and most of the observations were done by the parents during normal activities
Behaviour of the babies was not effected be researchers
Babies behaved naturally
Positive evaluation for stages of attachment: longitudinal design of stages of attachment study
Same children were observed over a period of time
Cross - sectional design: different children at different ages
LD - better internal validity as they do not have confounding variables of individuals differences between participants
What did Konrad Lorenz find
Found that geese automatically ‘attach’ to the first moving thing they see after hatching
They follow it everywhere
This is called imprinting
How did Konrad Lorenz investigate imprinting
Randomly divided a clutch of greylag goose eggs into two groups
Left one group with the mother and incubated the other eggs
Results of Lorenz’s study
The goslings from the incubated eggs followed him around in the same way the goslings from the other eggs would follow their mother
Put both sets of goslings together
Observed that when they were released, the two groups re-formed as each gosling went to search of their ‘mother’
Both sets of goslings has imprinted on the first moving object they had seen
Conclusions of Lorenz’s study on imprinting
After further experiments, Lorenz’s determined that imprinting was most likely between 13 and 16 hours after hatching
Imprinting seems to occur during a ‘critical period’
It’s a fast, automatic process
After this critical period, birds cannot imprint
How do the conclusions of Lorenz’s study differ to humans
Our attachments take longer to develop and we don’t automatically attach to particular things
Quality care seems more important in human attachment formation
Method of Harlows study of The need for ‘contact comfort’
Harlow aimed to find out whether baby monkeys would prefer a source of food or a source of comfort and protection as an attachment figure
In laboratory studies rhesus monkeys were raised in isolation
Had two surrogate mothers
One was ,ade of wire mesh and contained a feeding bottle
The other was made of cloth but didn’t contain a bottle
Results of Harlows study of The need for ‘contact comfort’
Monkeys spent most of their time clinging to cloth surrogate and only uses the wire surrogate to feed
Cloth surrogate seemed to give them comfort in new situations
When the monkeys grew up they showed signs of social and emotional disturbance
The Females were bad mothers who were often violent towards their offspring
Conclusions of Harlows study of The need for ‘contact comfort’
Infant monkeys formed more of an attachment with a figure that provided comfort and protection
Growing up in isolation affected their development
Evaluation of Harlows study of The need for ‘contact comfort’
Labortstity experimen: strict control of the variables
Unlikely results were affected by an unknown variable
Can be argued that you cannot generalise the results of this study to human beings, because the humans and monkeys are qualitatively different
Ethical problems:
Monkeys were out in stressful situations, later showed signs of psychological damage from the experiment
Monkeys are social animals so it’s unfair to keep them in isolation
Keeping the monkeys in isolation made the experiment lack ecological validity - monkeys weren’t in their natural environment, so the results can’t be reliably applied to real life
Experiment cannot be repeated because of ethical guidelines in place now
How did Harlow and Zimmerman adapt Harlow’s research
Added a fear stimulus (e.g. oversized toy) which was placed in the cage
The monkey would cling to the cloth surrogate before the exploring the object
Monkeys with a wire surrogate would remain frozen or run wildly around the cage
The researcher concluded that a strong attachment with a primary caregiver is therefore highly important in the develop of an infant
How did Harlow and Sumoi adapt Harlow’s experiment
Investigated other factors in generating a strong attachment
Placed a cloth surrogate with food and a cloth surrogate without food in the cage
Found that the one with food was preferred
Concluded that food may still be significant factor in developing attachments
What are the evaluations for when animals are used in psychological research
The findings of the study should be interpreted carefully
It is hard to generalise the findings from one species to another because the behaviour of an animal can often be different to that of a human
Although the results of animal studies might not be generalisable to human populations, they can often influence policies and theories in different areas of research
What type of species did Lorenz use and how does this differ to humans
Used a precocial species
Species that have their eyes open and can walk right from birth
Very different from human infants, who cannot walk until a lot later
Advantages and disadvantages of animals studies
Advantage: some research designs couldn’t have been conducted in humans ethically (e.g. Harlow’s study of attachment)
Disadvantage: can be seen as unethical to inflict suffering on animals, especially when they can’t give consent
Negative evaluation for animal studies: not generalisable to humans
We cannot generalise the findings from Lorenz’s study to humans.
Mammalian attachment is different from birds- they show more emotional attachment and mammals may be able to form attachments at any time
Negative evaluation for animal studies: Lorenz’s questionable findings
Imprinting and mating behaviour- Guiton et al. (1966) found that chickens imprinted on yellow washing up gloves, would try to mate with them as adults but with experience they eventually learned to prefer mating with other chickens
This suggests it is not permanent
Negative evaluation for animal studies: ethical issues
The monkeys suffered greatly as a result of Harlow’s study
Harlow was aware of the damage he had causes and referred to the wire mothers as iron maidens after the medieval torture device
How does the behavioural theory explain why attachments are formed
Focuses on the baby wanting it’s needs fulfilled
Conditioning is given as an explanation.
How does classical conditioning form attachments
Baby learns associations between different thing in its environment
Getting food naturally gives the baby pleasure
The baby’s desire for food is fulfilled whenever it’s mother is around to feed it
So an associated is formed between mother and food
Whenever it’s mother is around, without food, the baby will feel pleasure (attachment)
How can operant conditioning play a role in forming attachments
Dollard and Miller claimed that babies feel discomfort when they’re hungry and so have a desire to get food to remove the discomfort
They find that if they cry, their mother will come and feed them
This means the discomfort is removed (negative reinforcement)
Mother is therefore associated with food and the baby will want to be close to her
This produces attachment behaviour (distress when separated from mother)
What is the drive reduction theory
Suggests that hunger (drive) makes the infant feel uncomfortable, and prompts a behaviour (crying) to reduce the discomfort
Food reduces the discomfort and is therefore rewarding via negative reinforcement
This ‘stamps in’ the feeding behaviour, food is the primary reinforcer because it supplies rewards
The person who supplies the food becomes associated (secondary reinforcer) resulting in the infant becoming attached to the person as they become a source of rewards in his/her own right
Strengths of the learning theory of attachment
Lots of support from scientific research
Weaknesses of learning theory for attachment
Reductionist - tries to explain complex attachment using simple stimulus-response processes
Uses animals research, findings aren’t always generalisable
Schaffer and Emerson’s findings don’t fully support learning theory: half the infants didn’t have their mother as the primary attachment
Other theories of attachment have support
Negative evaluation for the learning theory: Counter-evidence from animal research
Lorenz’s geese imprinted before they were fed and maintained this attachment despite who fed them.
Harlow’s monkeys preferred the cloth mother over the wire mother with food
In humans, food does not create the attachment bond
Negative evaluation for the learning theory: Counter-evidence from human research
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)- many of the babies developed a primary attachment to their biological mother even though other care givers fed them
What did Bowlby claim
Argued that something like imprinting occurs in humans
What were Bowlby’s main claims on attachments through the monotropic theory
Attachment can be explained by evolution
We create one special attachment
We create an internal working model of attachment
There is a critical period for attachment
What does “attachment can be explained by evolution” mean
We have evolved a biological need to attach to our main caregiver
This biological need has developed through natural selection to ensure the survival of the child to maturity
Babies have evolved to have social releasers which unlock the innate tendency of adults to care for them, these are both physical (baby face features) and behavioural (crying)
What does “we create one special attachment” mean
Bowlby’s idea of monotropy is that we form one main attachment- usually to our biological mother
Forming this attachment has survival value, as staying close to the mother ensures food and protection
A strong attachment provides a ‘safe base’, giving us confidence to explore our environment
How can we create an internal working model of attachment
Bowlby’s theory says that an infant attachment gives us a template for all future relationships- we learn to trust and care for others
This forms an internal working model for all later attachments
The primary caregiver provides the foundations for the child’s future relationships
This is called continuity hypothesis
Why is the model that we create of attachment a working model
It can change and develop over time, depending on how the person’s relationships change
How is there a critical period for attachment
The first three years of life are the critical period for attachment to develop - otherwise it might never do so
If the attachment doesn’t develop (e.g. because of separation or death), or it it’s broken, it might seriously damage the child’s social and emotional development
What does Bowlby’s ‘maternal deprivation hypothesis’ assume
If the relationship between the primary caregiver (often mother) and infant is disrupted or stopped during the critical period, there are long term consequences
How does Harlow’s study support Bowlby’s claims
Harlow’s study supports the idea that we have evolved a need to attach
Also suggests that social and emotional development might be damaged if an attachment isn’t formed
How does Schaffer and Emerson’s study provide evidence against Bowlby’s theory of monotropy
They found that, rather than one main attachment, many children form multiple attachments, and may not attach to their mother
How does Harlow’s study of monkeys goes against monotropy
Monkeys were raised in isolation
Other monkeys who didn’t have a mother, but grew up together, didn’t show signs of social and emotional disturbance in later life
They didn’t have a primary caregiver, but seemed to attach to each other instead
Impacts of Bowlby’s theory being published in the 1950s
Lead to an increase in ‘stay at home’ mothering
This had a subsequent impact on the economy as fewer women were going to work
What is monotropy
Infants form one very special attachment with their mother
If the mother isn’t present then the infant can bond with a substitute
What is secure attachment
Strong bond between child and caregiver
Infant is distressed when separated from caregiver
Child is easily comforted by caregiver when reunited
These are majority of attachments
Secure attachments are associated with a healthy cognitive and emotional development
What is insecure attachments
Bond between child and caregiver is weaker
Ainsworth came up with two types of this:
Insecure avoidant
Insecure resistant
What is insecure avoidant attachment
Is separated from caregiver, child doesn’t become particularly distressed
Can be easily comforted by a stranger
This type of insecure attachment is shown by children who generally avoid secure interaction and intimacy with others
What is insecure-resistant
Child is often uneasy around their caregiver
Become upset if they’re separated
Comfort can’t be given by strangers and it’s also often resisted from the caregiver
Children who show this style of attachment both accept and reject social interaction and intimacy
Method of Ainsworth’s strange situation study
Controlled observation
12-18 month infants were infants were left in a room with their mother
8 different scenarios occurred, including being approached by a stranger, the infant being left alone, and the mother returning
Infant’s reactions were constantly observed
Results of Ainsworth strange situation study
15% infants were insecure avoidant - ignored mother and didn’t mind if she left. A stranger could comfort them
70% were securely attached - they were content with their mother, upset when she left, and happy when she returned. Avoided strangers
15% were insecure resistant - they were uneasy around their mother and upset if she left. Resisted strangers and were hard to comfort when their mother returned
Conclusions of Ainsworth strange situation study
Infants showing different reactions to their careers have different types of attachments
Evaluation of Ainsworth strange situation study
Strict control of the variables so results were reliable
Laboratory type study made situation lack situation
Parents may have changed behaviour as they knew they were being observed which could have had an affect on children’s behaviour
The new situation in the experiment could have an effect on children’s behaviour
So study may not reflect their behaviour in real life
The mother may also not have been the main attachment figure
What conclusions can be drawn from Ainsworth’s strange situation study
Attachment differences depended upon the sensitivity of the mother (i.e. how well the mother could read her infant’s feelings and moods)
Sensitive mothers generally had infants who were securely attached
Less sensitive and less responsive mothers had babies who were more likely to be insecurely attached
Method of Van ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg cross cultural studies
Carried out a meta analysis of 32 studies of ‘the strange situation’ in different countries
Japan, Britain, Sweden etc
They were analysed to find any overall patterns
Results of Van ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg cross cultural studies
Percentage of children classified as secure or insecure were similar across the different countries than between them
Secure attachment were the most common type of attachment in the countries studied
Some differences were found in distribution of insecure attachments
In Western cultures, the dominate type of insecure attachment was avoidant, most insecure avoidant children were from Germany
In non western cultures, most common insecure attachment type was resistant
Japan had the highest proportion of insecure resistant children
Conclusion of Van ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg cross cultural studies
There are cross cultural similarities in raising children, with common reactions to the strange situation
Evaluations of Van ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg cross cultural studies
it is an over-simplification to assume that all children are brought up in exactly
the same way within a country or culture
Why may some cultural differences be found in the cross cultural studies of ‘the strange situation’
The more avoidant infants may be found in Germany because of the value Germans put on independence - so avoidance is seen as good
How are the causes of different attachment types debatable in the cross cultural studies of ‘the strange situation’
The causes may be the sensitivity of their careers and/or their inborn temperament
How may ‘the strange situation’ not show a characteristic of the child in the cross cultural studies of ‘the strange situation’
The experiment only shows the child’s relationship with a specific person, so they might react differently with different careers, or later in life
How might the idea that attachment type may influence later behaviours in the cross cultural studies of ‘the strange situation’ come about
Securely attached children may be more confident in school and form strong, trusting adult relationships
Avoidant children may have behaviour problems in school and find it hard to form close, trusting adult relationships
Resistant children may be insecure and attention seeking in school and, as adults, their strong feelings of dependency may be stressful for partners
Positive evaluation for cross cultural representations of ‘the strange situation’: large sample
There were nearly 2000 babies in van lJzendoorn’s meta analysis
Increased internal validity by reducing the impact of anomalous results
How can attachment be disrupted
Separation
Deprivation
What is separation
Where a child is away from a caregiver they’re attached to (mother)
Term refers to when it’s a relatively short time, not a longer or permanent separation
What is deprivation
This describes the loss of something that is wanted or needed
So ‘maternal deprivation’ is the loss of the mother (or other attachment figure)
A more long term or even permanent loss is implied
What is Bowlby’s maternal hypothesis
Deprivation from the main carer during critical period (first 3 years) will have harmful effects on a child’s emotional, social, intellectual and physical development
What does the maternal deprivation hypothesis say about the long term effects of deprivation
Long term effects of deprivation can include separation anxiety (fear of another separation from the career)
This can lead to behaviour such as being clingy and avoiding going to school
Future relationships may be affected by this emotional insecurity
Method of Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study
Case studies were completed on the backgrounds of 44 adolescents who has been referred to the clinic where Bowlby worked because they had been stealing
Also a control group of 44 emotionally disturbed adolescents who didnt steal
Results of Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study
17 of thieves had experiences frequent separations from their mothers before 2 years old, compared with 2 in the control group
14 of thieves were diagnosed as affectionless psychopaths (didn’t care about how their actions affected others)
12 of these 14 had experienced separation from their mothers
Conclusion of Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study
Deprivation of the child from its main carer early in life can have very harmful long-term consequences
Evaluation of Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study
Results indicate a link between deprivation and criminal behaviour
However, doesn’t mean one causes the other
Maybe other factors (e.g. poverty) that caused the criminal behaviour
Although case studies provide a lot of detailed information, the study relied on retrospective data, which can be unreliable
Strengths of maternal deprivation hypothesis
Other evidence supports Bowlby’s claims
Goldfarb found that orphanage children who were socially and maternally deprived were later less intellectually and socially developed
Weaknesses of maternal deprivation hypothesis
Evidence can be criticised
Bowlby linked the thieves’ behaviour to maternal deprivation, but other things were not considered
E.g. whether the poverty they grew up in led them to steal
Children in Goldfarb’s study may have been most harmed by the social deprivation in the orphanage rather than the maternal deprivation
How can the effects of disruption of attachment can be reversed
Evidence shows that the harmful effects of deprivation can be reversed with appropriate, good quality care
This contradicts Bowlby’s assumption
Evidence for how disruption of attachment can be reversed
Study found that children who had been socially deprived (in an orphanage) during their first two years of life quickly improved their IQ scores if they were transferred to a school where they got one-to-one care
Case study of the Czech twin boys explaining how the effects of disruption of attachment can be reversed
Twin boys’ mother died soon after birth
Father remarried to a cruel stepmother
They were often kept locked in a cellar, had no toys and were beaten
Found when they were 7 with rickets and very little social or intellectual development
Later adopted and made much progress
By adulthood they had above average IQ and had normal social relationships
Difference between privation and deprivation
Privation is where a child has never had an attachment to its mother or caregiver
Deprivation is where an attachment was once formed but is now broken
What did Rutter claim about maternal privation compared to maternal deprivation
Maternal privation is more likely to be serious than the effects of maternal deprivation
Seen through the case study of Genie
Case study of Genie
Suffered extreme cruelty from parent
Kept locked to high chair and not allowed to play with toys of other children
Beaten if she made a sound
Found at 13 years old
Physically underdeveloped and could only speak with animal like sounds
After help she learned some language but social and intellectual skills never seemed to fully develop
Method of Rutter’s longitudinal study of Romanian orphans
111 Romanian orphans who were adopted by British families were compared to 52 UK adoptees and followed over a prolonged period
Some of the orphans were adopted before 6 months of age and some were older
Each child assessed at ages 4,6 and 11
Results of Rutter’s longitudinal study of Romanian orphans
Children younger than 6 months when adopted had the same level of emotional development as other UK children who were adopted at same age
Romanian orphans older than 6 months when adopted showed signs of insecure attachments and social problems
UK children older than 6 months at adoption didn’t show the same problems
Conclusion of Rutter’s longitudinal study of Romanian orphans
Effects of privation can be reversed if an attachment starts to form before 6 months old
Long term effects are more permanent if attachment doesn’t start to occur within 6 months
Maternal deprivation alone doesn’t cause permanent effects because the UK adopted children had been separated but didn’t show any problems
Evaluation of Rutter’s longitudinal study of Romanian orphans
Results with older children may be due to a lack of any stimulation at a young age
As a longitudinal study, it allowed Rutter to gain an insight into the long term effects of privation
However, collected mainly qualitative data which is more difficult to create generalised laws and theories from
Method of Hodges and Tizards study of children raised in institutions
Longitudinal study of 65 children who had been placed in a residential nursery before 4 months old
Hadn’t had the opportunity to form close attachments with any of their caregivers
By 4 years, some children had returned to their birth mothers, some had been adopted and some had stayed in the nursery
Results of Hodges and Tizards study of children raised in institutions
At 16, the adopted group had strong family relationships, although compared to a control group of children from a normal home environment, they had weaker peer relationships
Those who stayed in the nursery or who returned to their mothers showed poorer relationships with family and peers than those who were adopted
Conclusion of Hodges and Tizards study of children raised in institutions
Children can recover from early maternal privation if they are in a good quality, loving environment, although their social development may not be as good as children who have never suffered privation
Evaluation of Hodges and Tizards study of children raised in institutions
Natural experiment, so high ecological validity
Sample was quite small and more than 20 of the children couldn’t be found at the end of the study, so it’s hard to generalise the results
Because lots of institutionalised children are unfortunately often underfed and malnourished with lack of stimulation, could be these factors that influence their behaviour, rather than the lack of attachment itself
What are the long terms effects of disrupted attachments
Affectionless psychopathy (44 thieves)
Anaclitic depression (appetite loss, insomnia and impaired social and intellectual development)
Deprivation dwarfism (infants physically underdeveloped due to emotional deprivation)
Delinquency (minor crimes committed by youths)
Reduced intelligence (infants don’t develop intellectually as fast as peers)
How may a person see themselves in a future relationship due to their attachment using the internal working model
If a child has a secure attachment to a sensitive caregiver, they are likely to see themselves as worthy as being loved
Then likely to form future relationships
If a child has an insecure attachment with a caregiver who rejects them, they are likely to see themselves as unworthy of being loved
Then likely to form future insecure relationships
What do the different childhood attachment types result in for types of future relationship
Secure attachment: secure relationship
Insecure-avoidant attachment: avoidant relationship
Insecure-resistant attachment: resistant relationship
Method of Hazan and Shaver study of the influence of early attachments
Conducted a ‘love quiz’ in local newspaper
Quiz had two parts
First part assssed the attachment type of each person with their person
Second part involved questions asking about their current beliefs about romantic love
Results of Hazan and Shaver study of the influence of early attachments
First 620 responses were analysed
There was a correlation between the type of childhood attachment and people’s later views on romantic love
Secure children were more likely to have happy and trustworthy relationships
Insecure-avoidant children ended up fearing intimacy
Insecure-resistant children were more likely to be worried that they weren’t loved in their relationships
Conclusion of Hazan and Shaver study of the influence of early attachments
Hazan and Shaver concluded that their findings provided support for Bowlby’s internal working model - that early attachments do influence adult relationships
Evaluations of Hazan and Shaver study of the influence of early attachments
Quiz relied on people thinking back to their childhood, which isn’t always accurate
Additional, the study used a volunteer sample, so a certain type of person might be more likely to respond
People may have answered untruthfully to show themselves in a better light
However, they did repeat the study in 2003 and found similar results
What is the basis of the adult attachment interview
Based on the idea that it doesn’t matter what the childhood attachment was, it’s how it was remembered
This supports the internal working model
What does the adult attachment interview do
Semi structured interview
Involves a series of questions about childhood attachment relationships and how these were seen to influence later relationships
The person being interviewed is asked to give 5 adjective explaining their relationship with each of their parents
They’re then asked to explain their choices of the adjectives
Other questions ask about times they got upset and if they ever felt rejected and how they believe their early experience influenced their adult attachments
Results are then classified by trained coders into a category- secure, dismissing, preoccupied or unresolved/disorganised
Many then went onto show that the categories of adult relationships could be predicted from people’s recall of their childhood attachments
What does the cycle of privation mean
Suggests that children who experience privation go on to have difficulties caring for their own children
Study to investigate the cycle of privation
Comparison of 50 women who experienced institutional care as children to 50 women who did not
Found women raised in institutions were more likely to have parenting diff later in life
Suggest there is a cycle of privation
Means that children who experienced privation later go onto become less caring parents
Therefore, their children are deprived of a strong maternal attachment and may then be less caring to their children and so on
What are the symptoms of children permanently damaged by early experiences such as privation
Inability to give or receive affection
Dishonesty
Poor social relationships
Involvement in crime
How did Freud and Dann find that damage from privation can be reversed
6 children who were rescued after WW2
Orphaned during war at a few months old and raised in deportation camp
Looked after by different Jewish people who were passing through camps, children didn’t have time to form any adult attachments
Instead they formed bonds amongst themselves
Children were adopted by British families after war and have shown few signs of troubled upbringing
They have a normal level of intelligence and can maintain normal relationships
Mixed evaluation of internal working model: evidence on continuity of attachment type is mixed
McCarthys study provides support for continuity and support the IWM
Freud and Dann showed that the IWM may be flawed and not carry onto later relationships
McCarthy’s study to test for IWM
40 adult women were assessed as infants to establish early attachment type
Securely attached infants had best adult friendships and romantic relationships
Insecure resistant had problems maintaining friendships whilst those classified as insecure avoidant struggled with intimacy
Negative evaluation of the IWM: most studies have issues of validity
Interviews and questionnaires in later years causes validity issues
May not be honest, realistic or accurate
Negative evaluation of the IWM: influence of early attachment is probalistic
Influences may have been exaggerated
Negative evaluation of the IWM: self report is conscious but IWM are not
IWM are unconscious
Rely on conscious understanding when completing self assessment
