Influence of early attachment on later remember Flashcards
internal working model (ITW)- who proposed it
Bowlby
ITW- what is it
- infant who’s first experience of a relationship is loving, reliable attachment figure they are likely to form healthy relationships in life—> most likely to show secure attachment behaviours
- infant who has negative relationship= find it difficult to form healthy and functional attachment relationships —> most likely to be insecure-avoidant or insecure-resistant to peers/romantic partners
ITW- who came up with ‘Love quiz’ to investigate ITW and when
Hazan and shaver
1987
Hazan and Shaver what did they analyse
- analysed 620 replies to questionnaire love quiz printed in American local newspaper (Rocky Mountain News)
—> quiz assessed 3 sections:
1. current/most important relationships
2. general love experiences e.g. number of partners
3. attachment type
Hazan and Shaver findings?
- securely attached= 56%
- insecure-avoidant= 25%
- insecure-resistant= 19%
- positive correlation between attachment style and romantic relationships experiences
—> securely attached= happy, trusting experiences and long-lasting friendships with acceptance and trust
—> insecure resistant and avoidant attached= people had shorter relationships = overall supports ITW
ITW what did McCarthy (1999) do
studied 40 adult women who had been assessed when babies to establish early attachment type
McCarthy results
- securely attached experienced good relationships
- insecure avoidant showed jealousy and fear of intimacy
- insecure resistant showed excessive behaviour and lots of emotional highs and lows
what did Bailey et al study and find
2007
relationships with parents
- 99 mothers attachment to their babies and their own mothers
- mother-baby attachment=assessed using strange situation, mothers attachment to own mother was assessed in adult interview —> majority women had same attachment classification both to their babies and their own mothers
Bailey et al research support
Harlow monkeys
what is influence of early attachment in childhood relationships?
- attachment type is associated with peer relationships in childhood
- Kerns 1994
influence of early attachment in childhood relationships what’s the difference between attachment types
Kerns 1994
- securely attached= form best relationships and friendships (seek out functional relationships which they carry out in their friendships)—> more popular, empathetic, good emotional and social skills
- insecurely attached= have difficult future relationships
what did Myron Wilson and Peter Smith 1998 assess?
- attachment type and bullying involvement
- used questionnaires on 196 children aged 7-11in London
Myron Wilson and Peter Smith findings
- secure children= unlikely to be involved in bullying or be bullying victims
- insecure avoidant = most likely to be victims of bullies
- insecure resistant= most likely to be the bullies
what else can impact a persons ITW
mental health
e.g. attachment disorders etc
eval point 1
correlation doesn’t show causation may be other factors influencing attachments
- Kagen suggested temperament (genetic personality) impact attachment
other factors may be parenting style , environment, experience witnessing relationships etc (confounding variables)
eval point 2
influence of early attachment = relies on retrospective assessment (most studies ask adults questions on their early life and relationships etc which is then used to identify childhood attachments)
- lowers validity, ppts may be dishonest or memories may be inaccurate
- confounding variables may lead to inaccuracies
eval point 3
research against Bowlby
- Zimmerman 2000 looked at early attachment style and adult attachment style and found no link between 2–> also suggests IWM has no impact going against Bowlby continuity hypothesis
eval point 4
- Becker Stoll longitudinal study followed 43 individuals from one year of age and at age 16 attachment was assessed using adult interview- found no evidence of continuity
eval point 5
Bowlby exaggerated idea of IWM to deterministic
—> Clarke and Clarke 1998 suggested that it was probable but not definite that early attachment influences later relationships
e.g. Czech twins insecure attachment doesn’t 100% cause you to be a bully or get bullied etc just increased likelihood —> can lead to self fulfilling prophecy
evan point 6
- practical applications (knowing someone’s attachment status and risk they have of certain behaviours etc means early interventions can be made to help development e.g. parenting support or parenting classes
eval point 7
- methodology issues with interviews, questionnaires etc
- conscious vs unconscious—> love quiz is using views to rely on unconscious concept and relies on memory
—> IWM can’t measure or observe it it’s unconscious so can’t prove ir right or wrong
