Influence Of Early Attachent On Later Relationships

Question 1

What did Bowlby suggest a baby’s first relationship with their primary attachment figure leads to?

Answer 1

A mental representation of this relationship which acts as a template fore future childhood and adult relationships.

Question 2

Why is the quality of a babys first attachment crucial?

Answer 2

This template powerfully affects the nature of future relationships.

Question 3

What is attachment type associated with?

Answer 3

The quality of peer relationships in childhood.

Question 4

What type do securely attached babies tend to go on to form?

Answer 4

The best quality childhood friendships unlike insecurely attached babies who later have friendship difficulties.

Question 5

What did Myron-Wilson and Smith assess?

Answer 5

The attachment type and bullying involvement using a standard questionnaire in 196 children children 7-11 from London.

Question 6

What did Myron-Wilson and Smith find?

Answer 6

• Secure children were very unlikely to be involved in bullying.
• Insecure-avoidant were most likely to be victims and
• Insecure-resistant were most likely to be bullies.

Question 7

What 2 major adult experiences foes the internal working model effect?

Answer 7

• Romantic relationships
• Parental relationships with your own children.

Question 8

What did McCarthy study?

Answer 8

40 adult women who had been assessed when the were babies to establish their early attachment type.

Question 9

What did McCarthy find?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What did Bailey et al do?

Answer 10

Considered the attachment of 99 mothers to their babies and to their own mothers.

Question 11

How did Bailey et al assess mother-baby attachment?

Answer 11

Using the strange situation.

Question 12

How did Bailey et al assess mother’s attachment to their own baby?

Answer 12

Using an adult attachment interview.

Question 13

What did Bailey et al find?

Answer 13

The majority of women had the same attachment classification both to their babies and their own mothers.

Question 14

Evaluation: research support

Answer 14

• Reviews of studies linking attachment to later development concluded early attachment consistently predicts later attachment, emotional well-being and attachment to own children

Question 15

Evaluation: Early attachment is assessed retrospectively

Answer 15

• Most research on the link between early attachment and later development isn’t longitudinal.
• Instead researchers usually as adolescent or adult participants questions about their relationship with parents and identify attachment forms from this.
• Causes 2 validity problems because asking questions relies on honesty and i means it’s hard to know whether what’s being assessed is early attachment or adult attachment.

Question 16

Evaluation: Confounding variables

Answer 16

• Associations between attachment quality and later development may be affected by confounding variables e.g. parenting style may influence both attachment quality and later development.
• Also genetically-influenced personality may also influence factors.
• We can never be entirely sure that early attachment is being studied and nothing other factors influencing later development.

Question 17

Evaluation: socially sensitive

Answer 17

• Myron-Wilson and Smiths study may be social sensitive as it is indication those who are insecure-resistant are likely to become bullies.
• May lead to a SFP.