The Influence Of Early Attachment On Adult Relationships

Question 1

What did Bowlby argue (his monotropic theory)

Answer 1

That infants will have one special emotional bond (monotropy) usually with the biological mother

Question 2

What was the importance of monotropy

Answer 2

That the infant uses this relationship to form a mental view of relationships called an internal working model

Question 3

What did the continuity hypothesis propose?

Answer 3

that individuals who are securely attached in infancy continue to be socially and emotionally competent. This is because a secure childhood leads to a positive internal working model.

Question 4

Secure relationships in childhood ensure a positive working model meaninh current, future and romantic relationships will be…

Answer 4

Positive & secure

Question 5

Evaluation of Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory

Answer 5

• Schaffer & Emerson
• socially insensitive
• Tizard & Hodges

Question 6

What did Hazan & Shaver (1987) design a test to study the connection between

Answer 6

a person’s infant attachment style, their internal working model, and their adult attachment style

Question 7

Hazan & Shaver (1987) Procedure

Answer 7

• they placed a ‘Love Quiz’ in the Rocky Mountain News (an American small-town newspaper).
• the quiz asked questions about
  1. relations with parents (to identify infant attachment style)
  2. current relationship experiences (to determine adult attachment style)
  3. attitudes toward love (to assess their internal working model)

Question 8

How many responses did Hazan & Shaver get?

Answer 8

620:
- 205 from men
- 415 from women
(From a fair cross-section of the population)

Question 9

Hazan & Shaver (1987) infant vs adult attachment style findings

Answer 9

When analysing adult attachment style they found that the prevalence of adult attachment styles was similar to infant attachment styles. 56% were classified secure, 25% insecure-avoidant and 19% insecure-resistant. This suggests that most people’s infant attachment styles are the same as their adult attachment style.

Question 10

Hazan & Shaver (1987) findings; relationship between adult attachment style & internal working model

Answer 10

adults with a positive internal working model tended to be securely attached adults.

Question 11

Hazan & Shaver (1987) findings - correlation between adult attachment style & love experiences

Answer 11

positive correlation between adult attachment style and love experiences -> Securely attached adults = happy, friendly + trusting love experiences; emphasised being able to accept and support their partner despite faults.

Question 12

How long did ‘secure’ attachment relationships last

Answer 12

10 years

Question 13

How long did ‘avoidant’ attached relationships last

Answer 13

6 years

Question 14

How long did ‘resistant’ attached relationships last

Answer 14

5 years

Question 15

Hazan + Shaver (-) how unreliable it is
E.g Fraley (2002)

Answer 15

• several other studies have failed to find the strong correlation between infant attachment style and adult attachment style.

Fraley (2002) conducted a review of 27 samples where infants were assessed in infancy and later reassessed (ranging from one month to 20 years later). He found correlations ranging from .5 to as low as .1

Question 16

(-) Hazan and Shaver; we can’t determine cause and effect

Answer 16

This is as the study is correlational, rather than experimental
-> impossible to say infant attachment styles determine adult ones
-> could be a third variable that affects both e.g. a person’s innate temperament

Question 17

(-) Hazan and Shaver overt reliance on pp’s memories

Answer 17

• This study relies on participants’ memories about their early lives in order to assess their infant attachment style.
  -> Such recollections are likely to be flawed because our memories of the past are not always accurate, making the study not valid.

Question 18

(+) some other research evidence to support Hazan & Shaver e.g. Mcarthy (1999) - study on 40 adult women

Answer 18

Mcarthy’s (1999) study supports the evidence for the influence of early attachments on future relationships. He conducted a study with 40 women of adult age who shared information about their childhood, which helped determine their early attachment styles in the study.

Women with secure attachments in childhood rated their romantic relationships more positively than women with insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachment styles.