influence on early attachment on later relationships

• Relationships in childhood

  Attachment type associated with quality of peer relationship. Securely attached have the best relationships and insecure have difficulties. Wilson and Smith 1998 assessed attachment type and bullying involvement using standard questionnaire 196 kids 7-11 years old in London. Secure less likely be involved bullying and insecure-avoidant are most likely to be involved
• Mental representation of the world and it affects future relationships because it carries our perception of what relationships are like. Bowlby 1969 suggested a relationship with PAF leads to mental representation of the relationship and template for future relationship.
• Internal working model affects experiences in romantic and parental relationships. Hazan and Shaver 1987 did a love quiz  with 620 replies and it was split into 3 sections. 1st current/ most important relationship, 2nd general love experiences, 3rd attachment type. 56% securely attached, 25% insecure-avoidant, 19% insecure-resistant.
• McCarthy 1999 40 40 adult women assessed babies attachment type. Securely attached have the best relationship, insecure-avoidant struggles with intimacy, and insecure-resistant have problems maintaining relationships.

  IWM have the ability to affect relationships such as romantic and parental as they base how they act and parent off this and it tends to be passed on through generations.
• Bailey 2007 considered the attachment of 99 mothers to their babies and their own mother it was assessed using the strange situation and to their own mother it was assessed by an interview and the majority had the same classification of the attachment to type to their own mother and child.
• Limitation the existence of confounding variables. Some studies assess attachment in infants which means that the assessment of early attachment is valid but they can have validity issues due to associations between attachment quality and later development may be affected by confounding variables, such as the parenting styles which can affect attachment quality and later development. Means can never be sure that is early attachment and not another factor that is influencing later development.
• Limitation attachment assessed retrospectively. Most of the research of early attachment and the effects on later development is not a longitudinal study instead researchers ask adolescent or adult pps questions about their relationship with parents to identify attachment type, causing two validity issues. 1st, asking questions relies on honesty and accurate perception of the pps, and 2nd means hard to know whether what is being assessed is early or adult attachment. Means the measures of early attachment used in most studies may be confounded with other factors making them meaningless.
• But not all evidence supports close links between early attachment and later development. Becker-stoll 2008 Regensburg longitudinal study followed 43 individuals from one year of age and at age of 16 attachment assessed using adult attachment interview and no evidence of continuity. Means not clear to what extent the quality of early attachment really predicts later development and may be other important factors.
• Strength research later relationship evidence. Fearon and Roisman reviewed some evidence and concluded that early attachment consistently predicts letter attachment and the emotional wellbeing and attachment to own children. How strong a relationship is between early attachment type and later development depends on both attachment type and the aspect of later development. Insecure-avoidant attachment conveys disadvantages for any aspect of development, disorganised attachment strongly associated with mental disorder later in life. Means that secure attachment advantages future development