Influence Of Early Attachment Flashcards
What does early attachment provide?
A blueprint/prototype for later (adult) attachment.
How does the internal working model affect relationships?
It forms a mental representation/schema of the first attachment relationship that affects and predicts later relationships and parenting success.
What does an infant learn from their experiences in relationships?
What relationships are and how partners in a relationship behave towards each other.
What may happen to a child with bad attachment experiences?
They may struggle to make relationships and display insecure attachment styles (type A or C) to friends/partners.
What did Kerns (1994) find about attachment type and peer relationships?
Attachment type is associated with the quality of peer relationships; insecurely attached infants struggle while securely attached infants form the best quality friendships.
What did Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) discover about bullying?
Insecure-avoidant infants are most likely to be bullied, insecure-resistant infants are most likely to be bullies, and securely attached infants are not involved.
What was the procedure of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) study?
A Love quiz was placed in a small town publication, asking about current attachment experiences and attachment history to identify current attachment type.
What were the findings of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) study regarding attachment styles?
56% classified themselves as secure, 25% as avoidant, and 19% as resistant.
How are love experiences related to attachment type?
Love experiences and attitudes towards love (internal working model) were related to attachment type.
What beliefs do securely attached adults have?
Securely attached adults believe that love is enduring.
What experiences do securely attached adults report?
They report experiences of mutual trust.
How likely are securely attached adults to be divorced?
They are less likely to have been divorced.
What do insecurely attached adults feel about true love?
Insecurely attached adults feel that true love is rare.
How do insecurely attached adults handle relationships?
They fall in and out of love easily and find relationships less easy.
How likely are insecurely attached adults to be divorced?
They are more likely to be divorced.
What are the three types of adult attachment styles?
The three types are secure, resistant (anxious), and avoidant.
What is the most popular attachment style according to Ainsworth’s study?
The most popular attachment style is secure.
What is the least popular attachment style according to Ainsworth’s study?
The least popular attachment style is insecure-resistant.
What did Bailey et al. (2007) assess?
Bailey et al. assessed 99 mothers regarding their infants and their own mothers.
What method did Bailey et al. use in their assessment?
They used the strange situation and interviews.
What did Bailey et al. find about mothers’ attachment types?
The majority of mothers had the same attachment type with their infant as with their own mother.
What influences behaviors in attachment?
Behaviors are influenced by the internal working model.
What is the consequence of a lack of attachment during the critical period?
It results in a lack of an internal working model.
What are signs of attachment disorder in children?
Children with attachment disorder show no preferred attachment figure and an inability to interact with others.
What was attachment disorder previously called?
It was previously called attachment disorder but is now a distinct psychiatric disorder.
What is a strength of the research on infant attachment?
Strong research support exists showing a link between infant attachment type and later development.
What did the review by Fearon and Roisman (2017) conclude?
Infant attachment influenced development in men, with disorganized attachment being most predictive of later mental disorders.
What is a counter argument to the link between infant attachment and later development?
Not all evidence supports this link; for example, the Regensburg longitudinal study found no continuity of attachment type from age 1 to 16 years.
What did Zimmerman (2000) find regarding infant and adolescent attachment?
There was very little relationship between the quality of infant attachment and adolescent attachment to parents.
What is a limitation of assessment methods for attachment quality?
Most methods rely on self-report, which can lead to inaccurate data due to social desirability bias.
What issue arises from retrospective data in attachment studies?
Looking back at childhood relationships may cause recollection problems.
What does the correlation in research imply about attachment and later love styles?
Correlation does not imply causation; it could be influenced by innate temperament.
What are confounding variables in attachment studies?
Factors like parenting style and personality may affect both attachment and later development, complicating conclusions.
What did Clark and Clark (1998) suggest about early attachments?
The influence of infant attachment on later relationships is probabilistic; individuals are not doomed to have bad relationships.
What criticism is directed at Bowlby’s theory of attachment?
Bowlby may have exaggerated the significance of early relationships, potentially leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
