influence of early attachment Flashcards
role of internal working model
infant learns about what relationships are and how partners behave towards each other from experience
hazan and shaver - internal working model
placed ‘love quiz’ in newspaper - asked Qs about current attachment experiences and about attachment history to identify current and childhood attachment types
also asked Qs about attitudes towards love - assessment of IWM
analysed 620 responses - 205 from men, 415 from women
hazen and shaver findings
analysis of attachment history found that the prevalence of attachment styles was similar to that found in infancy - 56% classified as secure, 25% as avoidant, 19% as resistant
found positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences - securely attached adults described love experiences as happy - emphasised being able to accept and support partner despite faults. these relationships were more enduring - 10 years on avg compared to 5/6 years for resistant and avoidant particpants
found relationship between conception of love (IWM) and attachment type - securely attached individuals tended to have positive IWM
behaviours influenced by IWM - childhood friendships
minnesota child-parent study found continuity between early attachment and later social behaviour
individuals classified as securely attached in infancy were highest rated for social competence later in childhood, were less isolated and more popular - can be explained in terms of IWM as securely attached infants have higher expectations that others are friendly and trusting - enables easier relationships with them
behaviours influenced by IWM - poor parenting
harlow’s research - demonstrated link between poor attachment and later difficulties with parenting
quinton et al’s study show these results are same in humans- lack of IWM means individuals lack reference point to subsequently form relationships with their own children
behaviours influenced by IWM - romantic relationships
study by hazan and shaver - demonstrated link between early attachment type and later relationships - securely attached individuals had longer lasing romantic relationships
behaviours influenced by IWM - mental health
lack of attachment during critical period results in lack of IWM - children with attachment disorder have no preferred attachment figure, inability to interact and relate to others that is evident before age of 5 and experience of severe neglect or frequent change of caregivers
evaluation - research is correlational
research linking IWM with later relationships is correlational rather than experimental - can’t claim that relationship between both variables is one of cause and effect
it’s possible that both attachment style and later relationship styles are caused by something different such as innate temperament:
infant’s temperament affects way parent responds so may be determining factor in infant attachment type
researchers cannot claim that IWM determines later relationships - temperament is an intervening variable
evaluation - retrospective classification
studies of early attachment rely on retrospective classification - recollections are likely to be flawed as memories of past aren’t always accurate
however, longitudinal study by simpson et al found that participants who were securely attached as infants were rated as having higher social competence as children, were closer to friends at 16 and were more expressive and emotionally attached to romantic partners in early adulthood
longitudinal studies support view that attachment type does predict relationships in adult life and may offer more accurate representation of early attachment influences
evaluation - alternative explanation
feeney - adult attachment patterns may be properties of the relationship rather than the individual - adult relationships are guided by self-verification process - tendency to seek others who confirm your expectations of relationships
it is the adult secure relationship that causes adult attachment type rather than early attachment - suggests another explanation may account for findings of early attachment research
