The Influence of Early Attachment

Question 1

What is the role of the internal working model?

Answer 1

Bowlby’s concept of the internal working model is that infants learn about relationships from experiences

Question 2

Describe the procedure of Hazan and Shaver’s study

Answer 2

• Cindy Hazan and Philip Shaver (1987) designed a study to test the internal working model
• Procedure: they placed a ‘Love Quiz’ in the Rocky Mountain News that asked about current attachment experiences and attachment history to identify current and childhood attachment types. It also asked about attitudes towards love, an assessment of the internal working model. They analysed 620 responses, 205 from men and 415 from women, from a fair cross-section of the population

Question 3

Describe the findings of Hazan and Shaver’s study

Answer 3

They found a similar prevalence of attachment to that of infancy - 56% = secure, 25% = avoidant and 19% = resistant. They found a positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences. Securely attached adults described their love experiences as happy, friendly and trusting; they were able to accept and support their partner despite faults, they had enduring relationships (10 years on average, while 5 years for resistant and 6 for avoidant)

Question 4

How does the internal working model influence childhood friendships?

Answer 4

• The Minnesota child-parent child study found continuity between early attachment and later emotional/social behaviour .
• Securely attachment individuals were highest rated for social competence later in childhood, were less isolated and more popular, and more empathetic. Explained in terms of the internal working model as securely attached infants have higher expectation that others are friendly and trusting which enables easier relationships

Question 5

How does the internal working model influence poor parenting?

Answer 5

• Harlow’s research with monkeys showed a link between poor attachment and later difficulties with parenting.
• Quinton et al showed that the lack of an internal working model means that the individual lacks a reference point to then form relationships with their own children

Question 6

How does the internal working model influence romantic relationships?

Answer 6

Hazan and Shaver showed a link between early attachment type and later relationships. Securely attached individuals had longer-lasting romantic relationships.

Question 7

How does the internal working model influence mental health?

Answer 7

• Lack of attachment during the critical period in development would result in a lack of an internal working model.
• Children with attachment disorder have no preferred attachment figure, an inability to interact and relate to others that’s evident before the age of 5, and experience of severe neglect or frequent change of caregivers.

Question 8

Give evaluation for the influence of early attachment (supporting evidence)

Answer 8

• Supporting for the influence of early attacgment on late relationships comes from evidence
• McCarthy (1999) studies 40 adults women has been assessed when they were infants to establish their early attachment type. Those assessed as securely attached in infancy has the positive adult friendships and romantic relationships. Adults as insecure-resistant in infancy had problems maintaining friendships.
• This research is strong as it didn’t rely on retrospective accounts of early attachment. This provides clear support for the link between early attachment and later relationships; providing validity to the continuity hypothesis of attachment

Question 9

Give evaluation for the influence of early attachment (correctional)

Answer 9

• Research linking the internal working model /early attachment with later relationships is correctional rather than experimental
• So, we can’t claim that the relationship between early attachment and later love styles is one of cause and effect. It’s possible that both attachment style and later love styes are caused by something different, like innate temperament. An infant’s temperament affects the way a parent responds and thus may be determining factor in infant attachment type. The individual’s temperament may explain their issues with relationships later in life.
• This means that researchers cannot claim that the internal working model determines later relationships. In this case temperament is an intervening variable.

Question 10

Give evaluation for the influence of early attachment (methodology)

Answer 10

• Research into the influence of early attachment, like Hazan and Shaver, has some issues with the methodology
• For example, in Hazan and Shaver’s research is likely to be affected by social desirability bias. This is as respondents likely want to portray themselves as having more positive relationships than perhaps they may have had. Furthermore, research methods are also affected by the use of retrospective self-report methods. This means that respondents had to think back and retrospectively report their early attachment. This is an issue because it may affect the validity of the findings, and therefore the conclusions around the relationship between early attachment and later relationships.