Influence of early attachment on adult relationships.

• Discuss research into the influence of early attachment on adult relationships. AO1 (6 marks) - IWM


  •      The IWM which suggests that the quality of primary attachments formed in childhood will form a mental template for future relationships.

  •       Harlow's monkey research privated monkeys, never formed any primary attachment killed their own offspring.
• Discuss research into the influence of early attachment on adult relationships. AO1 (6 marks) – Myron-Wilson and Smith


  •        Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) how early attachment types would determine disposition in children, 

  •      Findingthat insecure-avoidant types were more likely to become victims of bullying andinsecure-resistant types were more likely to be bullies. 
• Discuss research into the influence of early attachment on adult relationships. AO1 (6 marks) – Hazan and Shaver. 


   Research into relationships in adulthood with romantic partners was conducted by Hazan and Shaver. A love quiz was published in a US newspaper which was a questionnaire to establish attachment types, finding that 56% were securely attached, 25% were insecure-avoidant and 19% were insecure-resistant.
• Discuss research into the influence of early attachment on adult relationships. AO1 (6 marks) – Bailey


  Bailey et al looked at 99 mother - baby attachments and assessed them using the strange situation and interviews for adult attachment, the majority had the same attachment to their babies as they had to their mothers. 
•  AO3 - Internal working model as an indicator for adult relationships is deterministic. 

  E:  Self-fulfilling prophesy causing people to be pessimistic about their future and adult relationships, causing them to act in a way they believe is expected. 

  L: The internal working model can be negative as it may cause people to behave in harmful ways if they believe that it is expected. 

  CA:  However, there is opposing research against the internal working model with the Koluchova twins who experienced maternal deprivation in early childhood
•  AO3 - Research by Myron-Wilson and Smith is reductionist. 


  E:  Correlated the behaviours of the children with their attachment style however it cannot be determined that the attachment caused those behaviours.

  E:  Other factors which could affect the behaviours of the children in the study such as personality and therefore cause and effect cannot be established 

  L:  Using attachment types as indicators for future relationships is reductionist and is not scientific.
• AO3 - Methodology of the love quiz by Hazan and Shaver, questionnaire with standardised questions


   E:  All of the participants the same questions, the same type of data would be collected easily compared by the researchers. Can be replicated increasing the reliability of the result. 

  CA:  Self-reported which is a weakness since participants may say things which are not true to make themselves look better and more socially desirable, 

  L: Data collected is not always reliable decreasing the internal validity. 
• AO3 - Methodology of the love quiz by Hazan and Shaver uses a volunteer sample.


  E: Quiz was published in a US newspaper and received 620 replies, and so was unrepresentative as the sample only had American people who read that newspaper. 

  E: Questionnaire answered by certain types of people who are more confident and are in good relationships. 

  L: Therefore, the conclusions of the research not generalised to the wider population as the sample was unrepresentative.