The Influence Of Early Attachment On Childhood Relationships Flashcards
What study did Sroufe et al (2005) do
Minnesota Parent-Child project
When was the Minnesota Parent-Child Project
- began in 1975,
Continues to be studied today
Minnesota Parent-Child project procedure
Since 1975 mothers’ + childrens’ behaviour assessed using questionnaires and observations
-> e.g both videotaped (intra-observer reliability) while playing for a period of 10-15 minutes at home.
-> mothers were aware that they were being videotaped (possible social desirability bias)
-> Two observers analysed the recordings (to inc inter-observer reliability).
Findings; as children those who were classed as securely attached as infants had what traits
- high social competence rating
- less social isolation
- more empathetic
- more popular with peers
Findings about the internal working model
-> that an infant’s early attachment creates their internal working model of what relationships are, how partners in a relationship behave towards each other and what they should expect of a relationship.
-> securely attached = positive internal working model for relationships = better at forming + maintaining relationships
Long term effects of not having an early attachment (& so no internal working model)
If infants do not have an early attachment during the critical period this would result in a lack of an internal working model for attachment.
This could lead to attachment disorder where children have no preferred attachment figure, and an inability to interact and relate to others.
This becomes evident from the age of five and is usually caused by severe neglect or frequent change of caregivers.
(+ of Sroufe et al - 2005) how the study is reliabe (as Simpson et al 2007 founf similar results)
Simpson et al 2007 assessed infant attachment styles at one year of age. Several studies have found that children who were securely attached as infants were rated as having higher social competence as children and were closer to their friends aged 16.
(-) The minnesota parent child project = deterministic
- study claims that early experiences have a fixed effect on later childhood relationships -> so insecurely attached infants = doomed to experience emotionally unsatisfactory relationships as children.
-> It is therefore deterministic
(does not take account of people’s free will to make conscious decisions about their behaviour).
(-) studies that contradict the claim that early attachment affects later relations e.g. Tizard and Hodges
Tizard and Hodges (1989) found that children raised in care who had never formed any attachments by the age of four, and were then adopted, could still form attachments to their new adopted parents.
-> therefore early attachment ≠ messed up later childhood relationships
