Influence of early attachments

Question 1

According to Bowlby, early attachments have lifelong consequences, what was one lifelong consequence he proposed?

Answer 1

Positive good quality of primary attachments would have a positive correlation with the quality of attachments later in life

Question 2

what is the internal working model?

Answer 2

A mental model of the world. It enables individuals to predict and control their environment (and it relates to someone’s expectations of relationships)

To develop it:
• infant learns about relationships from experience
• influenced by how their parents act towards each other

Question 3

What did Hazan and Shaver’s study test?

Answer 3

The internal working model

Question 4

What was the procedure of Hazan and Shaver’s study testing the working memory model?

Answer 4

• used a ‘Love Quiz’ in a newspaper/magazine
• asked questions about current attachment experiences & attachment history to determine current & childhood attachment types
• asked questions about attitudes towards love (refers to expectations of relationships in the internal working model
• 620 responses, mostly women

Question 5

What did Hazan and Shaver find in their ‘Love Quiz’ study?

Answer 5

• when analysing self-report attachment histories, they found that the attachment type hadn’t changed from infancy (secure attachments most common)
• there was a positive correlation between being a securely attached adult and having happy, loving, trusting relationships that last longer than other attachment types
• there was a correlation between having a positive idea of love/ positive internal working model, and being securely attached

Question 6

What are the 4 behaviours influenced by the internal working model?

Answer 6

• Childhood friendships (securely attached= more popular, more sociable)
• Poor parenting (Harlow’s monkey study showed the monkeys became poor parents after lack of/poor attachments in infancy)
• Romantic relationships (Hazan and Shaver’s Love Quiz showed adult relationships are better in securely attached children)
• Mental health (lack of attachment during critical period = lack of internal working model = mental problems such as inability to interact etc)

Question 7

Criticisms of the influence of early attachment theory / Love Quiz study

Answer 7

• deterministic - doesn’t consider that insecure attached individuals may not have bad relationships
• love quiz is retrospective - based on memories of the past which may be flawed

Question 8

positives of the influence of early attachment theory / Love Quiz study

Answer 8

• supported by longitudinal studies e.g Simpson et al - shows positive correlation between sociability and secure attachment