Attachment~Core Study: Hazan and Shaver

Attachment~Core Study: Hazan and Shaver

1. Aim?

   • To prove that later love relationships are predictable from knowledge of previous attachments

2. Method?

   • Study took place in USA. In a magazine, questionnaire published as 'Love Quiz' asked people aged 14-82 closed questions about relationships. 2 variables were measured : a person's infant attachments and their attitude towards their most important love relationship

3. Results?

   • 1200 replied but only 620 were analysed; 56% had secure, 25% avoidant and 19% ambivalent attachments as children. Those who were securely attached had mutual trust and were less likely to divorce whereas those who were insecurely attached found relationships harder and fell in and out of love easily

4. Conclusion?

   • Hazan and Shaver concluded that there is a clear relationship between attachments at infancy and the type of relationship people have in adulthood

5. Limitations

   • *Sampling method may give unrepresentative sample; possibly gender biased as in general more women read magazines compared to men
   • *Used closed (multichoice) questions; participants could not elaborate. Relationships are complex so giving one simple answer could lead to inaccurate results because the replies were not detailed enough
     • *Relies heavily on honest answers; participants could be sensitive talking about their families and love lives leading to untruthful of exaggerated responses. Also, people were reporting on their childhood, making results inaccurate as their memories may have become distorted or portrayed wrongly

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