Developmental Psychology

A02 Evaluating types of attachment

• Attachment style is an essential tool used to predict later relationships.
• Only appropriate for children up to 20 months
• Does it reflect true method of relationship formation that the child uses.
• Main & Weston 1981-Children have different relationship to different care givers
• SS measures only one relationship
• Bowlby says only one relationship that matters, that is with the PCG, as the relationship develops
is internalised and becomes a characteristic of the child
• Main (1999) Attachment type assessed then reassessed using AAI at 9 years-found main influen
was mother supporting Bowlby’s theory of Monotropy.
• Van Ijzendoorn 1992 suggested attachment style is an average of all caregivers, his research
supported the strange situation but must take into account more than one attachment relationship
• SS has construct validity & predictive validity. Research this and define
• The SS causes anxiety to babies, is this acceptable?
• Study of Ainsworth restricted to middle class Americans- culturally biased ie population
validity.