Early attachment and later relationships

• What is the continuity hypothesis?


  Attachment with parents -> platonic relationships in childhood -> later romantic relationships
• What did Rose-Krasner et al study?

  Continuity.
• What did Rose-Krasner et al do?

  • Compared children who had been assessed (at 20 months) as being securely attached against those assessed as being insecurely attached
  • Researchers observed that secure attachments in infancy were associated with better problem solving skills, better co-operation and greater social competence
• How were relationships with teachers assessed?

  • Erickson found insecurely attached children to be highly dependent and non-compliant. Teachers reported it to be difficult to form relationships with such children.
  • However, infant attachment style isn't only factor associated with relationships with teachers. Howes says sensitive and responsive teachers can provide children with opportunities to build a good relationship.
• How were adolescent relationships assessed?

  • Research shows that early attachment styles affect adolescent social relationships
  • Zimmerman found secure attachment was significantly related to close friendship, positive friendship concept, integration in a peer group and effective emotional regulation within close friendships
• Who designed the 'love quiz'?

  Hazan and Shaver
• What is the 'love quiz'?

  • A study designed to test predictions made by the internal working model and continuity hypothesis
  • Printed in a local newspaper & readers asked to send in responses
  • Measured using a simple checklist of childhood relationships with parents
  • Assessed individuals beliefs about romantic love
  • First 620 replies from people aged 14-82 were analysed
  • Were classified according to Ainsworth's infant attachment types & researchers looked for corresponding adult love styles
• What were the results of the 'love quiz'?

  • Securely attached = 56%. Prepared to trust others and had satisfying romantic relationships
  • Insecure avoidant = 24%. Doubtful about existence of true love. Reported finding it harder to trust others & be close to them.
  • Insecure resistant = 20%. Wanted and needed love, prone to being obsessive & jealous.
• What was the conclusion of the 'love quiz'?

  Attachment styles in infancy are associated with the nature of adult romantic relationships.
• Evaluation of the 'love quiz' by Hazan and Shaver:

  • Used self report measures - subject to social desirability bias, so love quiz may lack internal validity (didn't measure what it intended to)
  • Volunteer sample - only motivated people took part so results may differ from wider population. Lacked populational validity so not representative or generalisable
  • Retrospective - memory is subject to innacuracies so unreliable and lacks consistency
  • Closed questions - yes/no etc. Reduced validity so may be unable to give responses that truthfully reflect their experiences about love/attachment