The role of the internal working model Flashcards
What did bowlby suggest?
-that a child having their first relationship with their primary attachment figure forms a mental representation of this relationship.
-This internal working model acts as a template for future relationships.
What does the IWM resemble?
resembles a schema in that it is a mental structure in long-term memory that provides the basis for forming expectations.
in the case of attachment, this relates to a person’s expectations about relationships and their own success as a parent.
Why is the quality of the child’s attachment crucial? (2)
because this template will powerfully affect the nature of their future relationships.
an infant, whose first attachment is a secure one, will expect future attachments figures to respond warmly and positively.
What is the law of continuity?
the quality if a child’s first relationship ins determines the expectations of future attachments
What did myron- wilson and smith (1988) study?
Childhood Relationships- they (1998) investigated the internal working model to see if there was an association between early attachment type and participation in bullying behaviour (as either a bully or a victim in childhood.
What was their procedure?
• sample consisted of 196 children aged between 7 and 11 years from a South East London primary school.
• All children were assessed for attachment type and quality of relationship with parents using the Separation Anxiety Test and a Parenting Styles Questionnaire.
-Children were then divided into secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-resistant attachment types.
-Involvement in bullying, both as a perpetrator and victim were examined by a test called the Participant Roles Scale, in which each child identifies their peers as either a bully, a victim of bullying or uninvolved in bullying.
-The number of bullies and victims identified by peers in each category were counted.
What was their findings?
•Secure children were very unlikely to be involved in bullying.
•Insecure-avoidant children were most likely to be victims of bullying.
•Insecure-resistant children were most likely to be rated by their peers as bullies.
What was their conclusion?
These findings support the continuity hypothesis suggesting there is a link between early attachment and the quality of peer relationships in childhood. Therefore, attachment types predict some of the most negative types of interaction between peers.
What did Hazan and shaver study?
Influence of early attachments on adult relationships- (1987) conducted a study to test the internal working model, by investigating the idea that early attachment styles would be reflected in adult romantic relationships, as predicted by Bowlby.
What was their procedure (H and S)?
-analysed 620 responses (205 from men and 415 from Women) to a ‘love quiz’ printed in a local North American newspaper.
- questionnaire asked questions about their current attachment type by asking respondents to choose which of three statements best described their feelings about romantic relationships.
-These descriptions related to secure, insecure avoidant and insecure resistant attachments.
-Participants were also asked to complete a checklist describing childhood relationships with parents. In order to find out if there would be a correlation between adults’ romantic relationship.
What was their findings?
When analysing the self-reports questionnaires, they found that the percentage of adults in the different attachment types broadly matched those in Ainsworth’s strange situation:
56% of adults classified as securely attached tended to have a positive internal working model and described their love experience as happy, friendly and trusting.
These relationships were longer lasting and if married tended not to be divorced.-
• The 25% of adults classified as insecure-avoidant were more doubtful about the existence or duration of romantic love. They also maintained they did not need love partners to be happy.
• The 19% of adults classified as insecure-resistant tended to fall in love easily, demonstrated jealousy and worried that their partners might abandon them.
They also found a correlation between attachment type and the degree of sensitivity shown by mothers based on their memories of parenting styles.
What was their conclusion?
These findings suggest that early patterns of attachment behaviour are reflected in adult romantic relationships, supporting the continuity hypothesis.
