Critical Period of Attachment

Psychology: AQA A Level, topic 3.1.11

Critical Period for Attachment

The continuity hypothesis states that the foundations provided by the primary caregiver help build the child’s future relationships.

As with imprinting, there is a critical period in which attachment must happen before it may never develop.
In humans, attachment must happen within the first three years. Otherwise, attachment may not develop.

If the child does not develop attachment, they may have social and emotional difficulties later in life.
They may have trouble forming and maintaining relationships.
This also could happen if the attachment is broken, for example, if the caregiver dies.

The maternal deprivation hypothesis states that if a child is deprived of a caregiver within this critical period (or the attachment is disrupted), there could be long-term physical, social, emotional, and intellectual effects.

Hazan and Shaver conducted a ‘love quiz’ that provided evidence for the internal working model (Bowlby, 1951).

Bowlby’s internal working model looks at how adult relationships can be predicted based on the relationship between infant and caregiver.
Essentially, if the child forms a secure relationship with the caregiver, they are likely to develop secure relationships.
But if the child forms an insecure attachment, they are likely to form insecure relationships.

Hazan and Shaver (1987) tested this concept of the internal working model.
They developed a two-part ‘love quiz’ that was published in a local newspaper.
The first part of the quiz asked questions about the attachment between the person and their parents.
The second part of the quiz looked at what the person’s current opinions were on romantic love.

There was a correlation between the childhood experiences of attachment and the current opinions of romantic love out of the 620 responses analysed.
- For example, the people who had more trusting and happy relationships with their parents had more secure views of romantic love.

On the other hand, people who did not have happy relationships with their parents had insecure-avoidant views or insecure-resistant views of romantic love.
- Insecure-avoidant is characterised by a fear of intimacy and insecure-resistant is characterised by anxiety over the level of love received in relationships.

The results showed evidence of Bowlby’s internal working model.
- In other words, the early attachments formed during infancy and childhood predict and affect future adult relationships.

The study was a volunteer sample (the participants chose whether or not to take part.)
So the study could have attracted a particular type of person.

Secondly it was a self-report study which could either be inaccurate or untruthful.
The inaccuracy could stem from a faulty memory of childhood experiences.
While the untruthfulness could be a result of people lying, minimising or exaggerating answers.
But when the study was replicated by Hazan and Shaver in 2003, the results were similar.
- This demonstrates reliability.

In humans, attachment must happen within which time frame or else risk not developing at all?
Which aspects of a child's life will be affected by deprivation of a caregiver within the critical period (maternal deprivation hypothesis)?
How many responses did Hazan and Shaver (1987) analyse?
Hazan and Shaver replicated the study in 2003. The results were similar. This made the results more what?
What were the two main weaknesses of the study by Hazan and Shaver?