Influence of early attachments Flashcards
What is Bowlby’s Internal Working Model (IWM)?
A template based on early experiences that contains information about the availability and reliability of the primary caregiver (PCG) and influences expectations about future relationships.
What are Ainsworth’s attachment types?
Attachment styles identified by Ainsworth that reflect early relationships and influence adult relationships.
What is privation?
A lack of attachment during critical or sensitive periods that can lead to long-term consequences.
What does the continuity hypothesis suggest?
That relationship types in childhood are mirrored in adulthood, indicating a continuity between early and later life.
What was the purpose of Hazen and Shaver’s study?
To investigate the correlation between infant attachment types and future romantic relationships through a ‘Love quiz’.
What were the components of the Love quiz?
- An adjective checklist of childhood relationships with parents and their relationships with each other. 2. A love experience questionnaire assessing beliefs about romantic love.
How did secure attachment types describe their love experiences?
As happy, friendly, and trusting, with enduring relationships and the ability to trust partners despite faults.
What characterizes anxious resistant attachment types?
Experiences of obsession, emotional highs and lows, extreme attraction, jealousy, and fear of abandonment.
What are the traits of anxious avoidant attachment types?
Fear of intimacy, discomfort with closeness, and a belief that they do not need love to be happy.
What were the findings of the Love quiz?
A high correlation between attachment types, with 56% of respondents classifying themselves as secure.
What did Simpson and Morrison’s study support?
The association between early life attachment and adult relationships, supporting Bowlby’s IWM.
What are some strengths of the studies on attachment?
They provide evidence for Bowlby’s theories, show correlations between early and later life, and have real-life applications.
What are some weaknesses of the studies on attachment?
Correlation does not imply causation, reliance on retrospective data, deterministic views, and ethical issues.
What was the design of Simpson’s study?
A longitudinal study assessing whether experiences at one point influenced behavior at other points in time.
What were the key findings of Simpson’s study?
Securely attached infants showed higher social competence, closer friendships, and more emotional attachment in adulthood.
