The question
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Does early attachment predict later relationships? (7 points)
Study
Source 1: Source 1: Attachment at 1 and friendships at 10
Introduction
Researchers asked whether infants who are securely attached at age 1 get along better with peers in late childhood.
Participants
150 children from one Midwestern city, first studied at 12 months (about half girls; most from low-income families). Parents gave consent, children gave assent at 10, and an IRB approved the study.
Method
At 12 months, each infant was observed in the strange situation and classified as securely or insecurely attached. At 10, the children attended a four-week summer day camp, where counselors who did not know the attachment results rated each child’s social skill with peers on a 1 to 10 scale.
Results
Children classified as securely attached at 12 months had a mean counselor rating of 7.2 at age 10; children classified as insecurely attached had a mean rating of 5.4. The difference was statistically significant.
Discussion
Secure attachment in infancy predicted better relationships with peers nine years later.
Invented study for practice.
Study
Source 2: Source 2: Adults’ attachment styles and romantic relationships
Introduction
Researchers asked whether the way adults describe their feelings in close relationships, using the same categories as infant attachment, relates to how their romantic relationships go.
Participants
480 adults aged 18 to 60 in the United States who were in or had been in a romantic relationship, recruited through a social media survey (61% women). Responses were anonymous.
Method
Participants chose which of three descriptions best fit how they feel in close relationships (secure, avoidant or anxious) and reported the length of their longest romantic relationship in years. They also rated how much they trusted their current or most recent partner on a 1 to 7 scale.
Results
Adults who described themselves as secure reported longer relationships (mean 9 years) than avoidant adults (6 years) or anxious adults (5 years), and higher trust in their partners (mean 5.8, compared with 4.4 and 4.1).
Discussion
Adult relationship patterns resemble infant attachment patterns. Because adults described themselves at one time, the study cannot show that their infant attachment caused these patterns.
Invented study for practice.
| Self-described style | Longest relationship (years) | Trust in partner (1-7) |
|---|---|---|
| Secure | 9 | 5.8 |
| Avoidant | 6 | 4.4 |
| Anxious | 5 | 4.1 |
Study
Source 3: Source 3: Does attachment stay the same from 1 to 19?
Introduction
Researchers asked how stable attachment is from infancy to early adulthood, and what predicts change.
Participants
60 young adults from middle-income families in one Northeastern US city who had been observed in the strange situation at 12 months. They gave informed consent at 19, and an IRB approved the follow-up.
Method
At 19, each participant completed a structured interview about their childhood relationships, which trained raters, unaware of the infant results, classified as secure or insecure. Participants also reported major stressful life events since childhood, such as a parent’s death, divorce or serious illness.
Results
Overall, 65% of participants (39 of 60) had the same classification at 19 as at 12 months. Among the 36 with no major stressful events, 78% (28) kept the same classification; among the 24 with one or more major events, 46% (11) did. Most changes from secure to insecure followed a major stressful event.
Discussion
Attachment showed moderate stability, and change was more likely after stressful family events.
Invented study for practice.
(A) Propose a specific and defensible claim based in psychological science that responds to the question: does early attachment predict the quality of a person’s later relationships? [1 point]
(B(i)) Support your claim using at least one piece of specific and relevant evidence from one of the sources. [1 point]
(B(ii)) Explain how the evidence from B(i) supports your claim using a psychological perspective, theory, concept or research finding learned in AP® Psychology. [2 points]
(C(i)) Support your claim using a different piece of specific and relevant evidence from another source. [1 point]
(C(ii)) Explain how the evidence from C(i) supports your claim using a different psychological perspective, theory, concept or research finding learned in AP® Psychology. [2 points]