Wk8 Pre-recorded Part 3

Question 1

What are internal working models?

Answer 1

Mental representations about caregiver responsiveness based on experience

Question 2

What type of theoretical explanation is Bowlby’s concept of internal working models?

Answer 2

Cognitive

Question 3

What can internal working models do?

Answer 3

Allow infants to predict how the caregiver will respond in the short-term.

IWM can be generalised to how people behave in other relationships, thus influencing the infants ability to successfully form and maintain relationships.

Question 4

How can having a positive internal working model influence later development?

Answer 4

Children grow up with self-worth, confidence to explore the world, and belief in the helpfulness of others.

Children are more resilient and are willing to seek help from others.

Question 5

What caregiver behaviour can lead to the formation of a positive internal working model?

Answer 5

Positive, supporting, encouraging, and cooperative caregiver behavour

Question 6

What caregiver behaviour can lead to the formation of a negative internal working model?

Answer 6

Unresponsive caregivers who are frequently unavailable, distant, or erratic in their responses to the child.

Question 7

How can a negative internal working model influence later development?

Answer 7

Children grow up to believe that others are unreliable, unpredictable, and distrustful.

They may have relationship difficulties and be withdrawn/angry and struggle to seek help.

Poorer future outcomes.

Question 8

What are criticisms of Bowlby’s concept of internal working model?

Answer 8

An internal working model is an ambiguous, vague concept which is loosely defined. What exactly is an internal working model? Could be adapted to explain any correlation.

Question 9

Are internal working models specific to certain relationships or do they generalise to all relationships?

Answer 9

Bowlby thought that they could be generalised to all relationships, although how they interacted was unclear.

Question 10

Was Bowlby’s theory centered around the child having one primary caregiver or multiple caregivers?

Answer 10

One primary caregiver.

Question 11

Can internal working models explain multiple attachment patterns with multiple caregivers?

Answer 11

No, because Bowlby’s theory was centered around the child having one primary caregiver.

It is difficult to understand what happens when the child has multiple caregivers. It is difficult to determine who the primary caregiver is because relationship quality does not necessarily correlate to time spent together.

Question 12

Are internal working models stable over the time?

Answer 12

We don’t know. What happens if something fundamentally changes the relationship with a caregiver (e.g., a stressful event?). Can an individual hold contradictory models and how do they reconcile these?

Question 13

What has been suggested about early attachment and personal growth?

Answer 13

Early attachment shapes personal growth. Secure attachment provides a strong foundation for dealing with developmental challenges due to caregiver support.

Question 14

What is a factor that is important throughout childhood to provide a strong foundation?

Answer 14

Continued sensitive parenting.

Question 15

What factors can negatively impact parenting sensitivity?

Answer 15

Life stressors can cause parents to become less sensitive. Longitudinal studies have found that less sensitivity results in a weaker relationship between early security and good outcomes.

Question 16

What interaction could be key for good outcomes?

Answer 16

The interaction between early attachment security and continued sensitive parenting throughout childhood.

Question 17

What is a biological theoretical explanation for attachment patterns and later outcomes?

Answer 17

Attachment patterns are an adaptation to the environment.

Question 18

How can insecure attachment affect later outcomes according to the biological theoretical explanation?

Answer 18

Insecure attachment may be adaptive in harsh environments.

Infants learn to avoid/not trust unresponsive caregivers and believe that the environment is hostile. They become alert to risks. The infant would put low investment into the relationship and use opportunistic reproductive strategies (e.g., early pregnancy to ensure the survival of their genes).

Question 19

How can secure attachment in stressful environments affect later outcomes, according to the biological theoretical explanation?

Answer 19

Secure attachment can buffer the negative effects of stress and help people cope with stress and emotional regulation later on.

Question 20

What do biological explanations suggest about genes and attachment?

Answer 20

Early experiences may influence the expression of certain genes with long-term consequences. There is an interaction between the genes and the environment.

Question 21

How can genes influence the environment?

Answer 21

Temperament has a genetic basis. Their temperament affects how parents respond to their children and affects the quality of their relationship.

Question 22

What genes are linked to attachment security, pleasure, happiness, and love?

Answer 22

Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin

Question 23

What do twin studies suggest on genetic influences on attachment?

Answer 23

Genetics have little influence on attachment in infancy but do have influences later on as the child grows older.

Question 24

What is early secure attachment in infancy linked with, regarding parental and peer relationships?

Answer 24

Positive interactions with parents.

Social competence with peers.

Question 25

What variable can affect an infants relationship with parents?

Answer 25

Parental stress

Stressful events in the family can disrupt the relationship, although generally secure attachments have better outcomes for parent-child relationships than insecure relationships because early security tends to act as a buffer.

Question 26

Is early security linked with personality?

Answer 26

Yes. Early security is linked with self-esteem, confidence, optimism, and happiness. However this association may be indirect, and good quality stable parental relationships might be the key factor instead.

Question 27

Is early security linked with emotion regulation?

Answer 27

Yes, early security is associated with more competent emotion regulation skills.

However this could also be scaffolded by parents who accept their children’s emotions, talk about them and respond appropriately. Continuing parental support is important.

Question 28

Is early security linked with social cognitive outcomes?

Answer 28

Yes, children with secure attachments are better at identifying complex emotions and solving social problems.

Question 29

What is early insecurity suggested to be linked with, in terms of social cognition?

Answer 29

Children with insecure attachments are more likely to attribute negative motivations to peer behaviours. E.g., thinking accidental actions are deliberate.

Question 30

Can early attachment styles determine behaviour alone or is another variable involved?

Answer 30

Another variable is involved. Continuing parental support is important.

Question 31

How does early security relate to the development of conscience?

Answer 31

Children with secure attachments demonstrate greater compliance and cooperation. They have superior moral thinking.

Question 32

What is the development of conscience motivated by?

Answer 32

The desire to maintain parental approval and maintain positive relationships with their parents.

Insecure children don’t have this same drive and don’t develop a superior social conscience.

Question 33

How does security in childhood relate to self-concept?

Answer 33

More secure children have a more positive self-concept and tendency to seek and selectively attend to positive feedback. Children are more confident.

Question 34

How does security in childhood relate to school?

Answer 34

Secure children have more positive attitudes to school, self-efficacy, and mastery motivation.

However the relationship with achievement is unclear.

Question 35

What are psychopathological outcomes of secure attachments?

Answer 35

Early security is associated with lower levels of behavioural issues, and lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Insecurity is linked to mental health problems.

However, relationship between attachment and psychopathology is modest.

Question 36

What attachment type is linked to anxiety and depression?

Answer 36

Disorganisation

Question 37

What other factors are more likely to explain psychopathological outcomes instead of attachment style?

Answer 37

Maltreatment, poverty, genetics have a greater influence.

Question 38

What are applications of Bowlby’s attachment theory?

Answer 38

Bowlby’s attachment theory fundamentally changed scientific and popular views about the importance of parenting.

Question 39

What have longitudinal studies shown about attachment and later outcomes?

Answer 39

Secure attachment is associated with positive outcomes, however future research should be more theory-driven.

Parental care, parental discourse, and family circumstances may partly explain the associations.

Question 40

What is a limitation of attachment studies?

Answer 40

Most studies use US and European children.

Focus is mostly on mother-child relationship, rather than fathers or grandparents

There is still much to learn about other attachment relationships and cultural influences.