Influence of early attachment Flashcards
What did Myron-Wilson and Smith say about influence of early attachment ?
- self-report
- 196 children age 7-11 from London
- Secure = least likely to be involved in bullying
- IA = more likely to be victims
- IR = more likely to be bullies
What does Mcarthy say about relationships in adulthood and the procedure ?
- Assed 40 women whose attachment was assessed as an infant
- Studied the effect of early attachment on romantic relationships
What happens to secure attachment in adult relationships ?
Children who are able to separate from parent = make trusting relationships
Seek comfort from parents when scared = ave more self-esteem
Greets the return of parents with positive emotion = comfortable sharing feelings
Prefers parents to strangers = seek out social support
What happens to insecure resistant attachment in adult relationships ?
May be wary of strangers = reluctant to be closed to others
Large separation anxiety = worry their partner doesn’t love them
Don’t appear comforted = distraught when relationships end
What happens to insecure avoidant attachment in adult relationships ?
May avoid parents = may have intimacy problems
Doesn’t seek much comfort = must like emotion to relationships
Shows little preference to parents over strangers = unwilling to share thoughts or feelings
What did Hazan and Shaver study ?
- Looked at association between attachment and adult relationships
- printed a ‘love quiz’
- looked at 620
3 section quiz:
1. Current / most important relationship
2. General lone experiences, number of partners
3. Attachment type - 3 statements bets describes you
Findings:
56% secure - trusting and confident
25% insecure avoidant - fear and jealousy of relationships
19% insecure resistant - easily and open in love
What are strengths of the influence of early attachment ?
- Research support - early attachment predicts later relationships
What are the limitations of the research into the influence of early attachment ?
Validity: Assessed retrospectively, this means that the studies aren’t longitudinal studies.
Cofounding variables: Parenting style and later life events can change throughout the experiment
What is a limitation of Bowlby’s IWM model ?
- it is difficult to measure
- this is because it is a hypothetical method
