The concepts of a critical period and internal working model

• Outline research into the critical period.


  The critical period refers to the time frame in which an attachment must occur.

  For human infants, Bowlby proposed this critical period is 2 years.

  This means that if an attachment does not form within the critical period of 2 years, it would be difficult for the infant to form an attachment and it could have long-lasting negative effects on their development.
• Outline research into the internal working model.


  The internal working model refers to a mental representation of our early attachment with our primary caregiver that provides a template of what we expect from future relationships.

  This means that infants with a secure attachment would develop a positive internal working model, meaning they would also expect their future relationships to be loving and trusting. As a result, they are more likely to experience positive later relationships.
• Evaluate research into the critical period: supporting evidence.

  E.g. Lorenz' research found that goslings would imprint on the first moving object within 32 hours otherwise It was too late. This is a strength as it shows that goslings must attach within a critical period and so this may also apply to human infants.
• Evaluate research into the critical period: opposing evidence.

  E.g. research has shown that human infants who were not able to form an attachment within the first two years of life were later able to form attachments, it was just more difficult to do so. This is a limitation as it suggests that the critical period may be more of a sensitive period in humans.
• Evaluate research into the internal working model: supporting evidence.

  Research has found that infants who develop secure attachments are less likely to engage in bullying behaviours in childhood and are more likely to develop healthy adult relationships with low rates of divorce. Meanwhile, those who developed insecure infant attachments are more likely to engage in bullying behaviours in childhood and are likely to develop negative adult relationships characterised by high rates of divorce.
• Evaluate research into the internal working model: correlational, retrospective data.

  This is because research has involved participants looking back at their early childhood and answering questions about their early attachments. This data is then correlated with their current attachments to examine the effect of the internal working model. This is a limitation because the retrospective data can be subjective and, given it may be a long time ago, their recall may not be accurate.
• Evaluate research into the internal working model: cause and effect cannot be established.

  This is because other factors may play a role e.g. the temperament of the person - if the person has a difficult temperament, they may have not developed a secure attachment with their caregiver and may also not develop healthy relationships as an adult. This means that it is their personality traits, rather than their Internal working model, that is dictating their relationships.