AQA A-Level Psychology Paper 1 Essays: Attachment Essay Questions and Answer Hints
Attachment is a compulsory topic in AQA A-Level Psychology Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology. The specification includes Lorenz and Harlow's animal studies, learning theory, Bowlby's monotropic theory, the Strange Situation, cultural variations, maternal deprivation, institutionalisation and the influence of early attachment on later relationships.
For "discuss" questions, description alone will not produce a strong essay. You need accurate psychological knowledge followed by analysis and evaluation that addresses the specific focus of the question.
Discuss Lorenz’s animal study of attachment.
How to answer this question
Start with a concise account of what Lorenz did and found, then move quickly into discussion.
The important concepts are imprinting and the existence of an early period in which attachment occurs. Avoid writing a general essay about all animal studies. The question is specifically about Lorenz.
When evaluating the research, make the issue of generalising from geese to humans central to your discussion.
Indicative points
You could include:
Lorenz divided goose eggs so that some hatched naturally with their mother and others hatched in an incubator with Lorenz present.
The naturally hatched goslings followed their biological mother.
The incubator group followed Lorenz.
When the groups were mixed, they continued to follow the figure onto whom they had originally imprinted.
Lorenz concluded that imprinting occurs during a limited period soon after hatching.
His later observations suggested that early imprinting could also influence later sexual behaviour.
If imprinting did not occur during the relevant early period, attachment behaviour could be affected. Past mark schemes explicitly link Lorenz's findings to imprinting and an early critical period.
Useful discussion points include:
Lorenz's research provides evidence that some early attachment behaviour may have a biological basis rather than being entirely learned.
It contributed to the idea that attachment may need to develop during an early window of opportunity.
There are major problems generalising directly from precocial birds to human infants.
Human attachment involves much more complex emotional and social relationships.
Findings from Romanian orphan research suggest that human development can show considerable recovery, meaning a strict critical period may be better understood as a sensitive period.
Animal research allows processes that would be impossible or unethical to manipulate experimentally in human infants.
The findings have influenced theories of human attachment, but they should not be assumed to demonstrate that human attachment works in exactly the same way.
The 2022 examiner report gives a particularly useful warning. Students often evaluated Lorenz's methodology or ethics without explaining what the study actually tells us about human attachment. Stronger answers linked Lorenz to critical periods, later development and theories such as Bowlby's.
Discuss Harlow’s animal study of attachment.
How to answer this question
Organise the essay around Harlow's investigation of contact comfort.
Explain the wire and cloth surrogate mothers, what the monkeys preferred and what happened when they were frightened. You can then discuss the implications of the findings for explanations of attachment.
Harlow is particularly useful for questioning the idea that infants become attached simply because caregivers provide food.
Indicative points
You could include:
Infant rhesus monkeys were reared with two surrogate mothers.
One surrogate was made from wire and another was covered with soft cloth.
Feeding arrangements could be varied so that the source of food was separated from the source of comfort.
The infant monkeys spent much more time with the cloth mother, regardless of which mother provided food.
When frightened, the monkeys tended to seek the cloth mother.
Harlow therefore demonstrated the importance of contact comfort in attachment.
Monkeys experiencing severe early deprivation later showed social and relationship difficulties.
Reported effects included greater aggression, reduced sociability, problems with mating and difficulties caring for their own offspring.
For discussion, consider:
the findings challenge learning explanations based primarily on feeding
the findings may have greater relevance to humans than Lorenz's because rhesus monkeys are mammals
Harlow's work supports the importance of early emotional care
it has practical implications for the care of vulnerable or institutionalised children
extrapolating from monkeys to humans still requires caution
some versions of the study had methodological problems, including differences between the surrogate mothers that could introduce confounding variables
the research raises major ethical concerns because some procedures caused substantial psychological distress
Past marking guidance specifically accepts problems generalising from animals, ethical concerns and possible confounding variables as limitations of Harlow's research.
Discuss learning theory as an explanation of attachment.
How to answer this question
Your AO1 should explain how attachment could develop through classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Do not simply describe conditioning in general. Every part of the explanation should be connected explicitly to attachment between an infant and caregiver.
For discussion, the central question is whether feeding and reinforcement provide a convincing explanation of why infants attach to particular caregivers.
Indicative points
For classical conditioning, you could explain:
Food naturally produces pleasure in the infant.
A caregiver who repeatedly provides food becomes associated with this pleasurable experience.
Through repeated association, the caregiver can become capable of producing a positive emotional response even without food.
Attachment therefore develops through learning by association.
For operant conditioning, you could explain:
Behaviours such as crying may bring a caregiver closer.
The infant receives rewarding consequences such as feeding, comfort or attention.
Behaviour that produces rewarding outcomes is more likely to be repeated.
The interaction can also reinforce the caregiver's behaviour because attending to the infant removes the unpleasant crying.
For evaluation, you could include:
learning theory is based on established and testable principles of conditioning
it offers a relatively scientific explanation of attachment
it may be reductionist, reducing a complex emotional relationship to stimulus-response associations and reinforcement
Harlow's monkeys preferred contact comfort even when food came from the alternative surrogate, challenging a simple feeding explanation
Schaffer and Emerson found that infants were not necessarily most strongly attached to the person who provided most physical care
sensitive responsiveness may therefore be more important than feeding
the explanation can be compared with Bowlby's account, which emphasises innate and evolutionary processes
Past assessment guidance stresses that evaluation needs to remain focused on attachment, not simply give generic criticisms of learning theory. It specifically identifies evidence from Harlow, Schaffer and Emerson and comparison with Bowlby as useful evaluative material.
Discuss Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment.
How to answer this question
This essay should remain focused on Bowlby's explanation of attachment, rather than drifting into maternal deprivation.
The current specification explicitly includes Bowlby's monotropic theory together with the concepts of a critical period and internal working model, so both deserve clear explanation.
A useful structure is to explain the evolutionary basis and monotropy first, followed by the critical period and internal working model, then evaluate each major claim.
Indicative points
You could include:
Bowlby proposed that attachment has an innate and adaptive function because staying close to a caregiver increases an infant's chances of survival.
Monotropy refers to the special importance of one principal attachment figure.
Other attachments can develop, but the primary attachment is regarded as particularly influential.
Infants display behaviours that encourage caregivers to respond and remain close.
Bowlby proposed a critical period during which attachment should form.
The 2024 mark scheme describes this as a period when the infant is maximally ready to form an attachment and notes Bowlby's suggestion that the human period extends to approximately the first three years.
The first attachment forms an internal working model, a mental representation or blueprint of relationships.
A secure early relationship should create positive expectations about later relationships, whereas poor early attachment may produce less positive expectations.
For discussion, consider:
Lorenz's imprinting research is consistent with the idea of biologically prepared attachment and an early sensitive period
Harlow's research supports the importance of attachment beyond simple feeding
evidence that infants form several important attachments can challenge a strict interpretation of monotropy
recovery among Romanian adoptees suggests the early period may be sensitive rather than completely critical
research into childhood friendships and adult romantic relationships provides some support for the internal working model
later relationships are influenced by many factors, so Bowlby's theory can appear deterministic if early attachment is treated as destiny
the internal working model is useful theoretically but is difficult to observe or measure directly
Discuss the Strange Situation as a method of measuring attachment.
How to answer this question
This is a method-focused essay.
Explain how Ainsworth's Strange Situation measures attachment behaviour and allows infants to be classified as secure, insecure-avoidant or insecure-resistant.
Then assess whether the procedure provides a valid and reliable measure of attachment.
Indicative points
You could include:
The Strange Situation is a controlled observation.
The infant is observed during a sequence involving the caregiver, an unfamiliar person, separation and reunion.
Researchers observe behaviours associated with attachment.
Relevant behaviours include proximity seeking, exploration, reactions to separation and behaviour on reunion.
Infants can then be classified into attachment types.
Securely attached infants generally use their caregiver as a secure base and show positive reunion behaviour.
Insecure-avoidant infants show relatively little proximity seeking and tend to avoid the caregiver on reunion.
Insecure-resistant infants tend to show high anxiety and ambivalent or resistant reunion behaviour.
For discussion, you could consider:
a standardised procedure makes the observation easier to replicate
attachment behaviours can be recorded systematically
research indicates high inter-rater reliability
because the situation is controlled and unfamiliar, behaviour may not represent the child's everyday attachment
attachment classifications might partly reflect temperament, rather than attachment alone
the Strange Situation was developed in a particular cultural context
using the same behavioural standards across cultures may create an imposed etic
ethical questions arise because infants experience separation and possible distress
the original classification system included three attachment types and may not capture every possible pattern of attachment
These are closely aligned with previous mark-scheme evaluation points, which included standardisation, inter-rater reliability, ecological validity, cultural bias, temperament and ethical issues.
Discuss research into cultural variations in attachment.
How to answer this question
Make van Ijzendoorn's research the backbone of the essay because the current specification names it explicitly.
Explain what the research found, then discuss whether differences in Strange Situation classifications genuinely demonstrate cultural differences in attachment.
A very important point is the difference between within-culture and between-culture variation.
Indicative points
You could include:
Van Ijzendoorn and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis using Strange Situation research.
The analysis included 32 studies across eight countries.
Secure attachment was the most common classification overall.
Rates of secure attachment varied between countries.
Collectivist cultures included relatively high levels of insecure-resistant classifications.
Germany showed relatively high levels of insecure-avoidant attachment.
Importantly, variation within countries was greater than variation between countries.
This suggests that national culture alone cannot explain attachment differences.
For discussion, consider:
the large amount of combined evidence is a strength of meta-analysis
secure attachment being common across countries could suggest some universal features of attachment
differences may reflect child-rearing practices rather than better or worse attachment
the Strange Situation may be culturally biased because behaviours such as independence or separation anxiety have different meanings in different cultures
using an American-developed classification system elsewhere can be described as an imposed etic
samples from one region or social group should not automatically be treated as representative of an entire country
the greater within-country variation suggests subcultures and family practices matter
cultural comparisons should therefore avoid treating whole nations as psychologically uniform
The 2022 examiner report also emphasised that students need to make an actual comparison when discussing cultural variation, rather than merely stating that one attachment type occurs in a particular country.
Discuss Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation as an explanation of developmental difficulties.
How to answer this question
Keep maternal deprivation separate from other Bowlby ideas.
The important distinction is that deprivation involves the loss or prolonged disruption of an attachment that has already formed. Do not automatically treat every example of poor early care as maternal deprivation.
Explain the proposed critical period and then connect deprivation directly to the developmental consequences Bowlby predicted.
Indicative points
You could include:
Bowlby argued that prolonged or repeated separation from a mother or mother substitute could have serious developmental consequences.
Deprivation during an early critical period was considered especially damaging.
Possible consequences include reduced intellectual development.
Emotional development may also be impaired.
Bowlby associated severe early deprivation with later delinquency.
He also described affectionless psychopathy, characterised by difficulty forming normal affectionate relationships and limited feelings of guilt or concern for others.
The theory is therefore an explanation of how disruption to an early attachment might contribute to later developmental difficulties. These outcomes are explicitly identified in past mark-scheme content on maternal deprivation.
For discussion, consider:
Bowlby's work drew attention to the importance of continuity in early care
evidence from children experiencing severe early disruption can support links between poor early care and later difficulties
deprivation should not be confused with privation, where a normal attachment may never have formed
some early research struggled to separate deprivation from other factors such as poverty, poor home environments or pre-existing difficulties
Romanian adoption research shows considerable recovery when children receive good-quality later care
this challenges a completely irreversible interpretation of the critical period
maternal deprivation theory has had major practical implications for hospital visiting, childcare and institutional care
the theory can be criticised as overly deterministic if it suggests early separation inevitably produces later problems
Discuss research into the effects of institutionalisation.
How to answer this question
The current specification explicitly requires the English and Romanian Adoptees project, so this should form a major part of the essay.
Explain what institutionalisation can do to children's intellectual, social and emotional development, then use Romanian orphan research to assess the importance of factors such as age of adoption.
Indicative points
You could include:
Romanian institutions often provided extremely limited emotional and individual care.
Rutter and the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) project followed Romanian children who were later adopted into British families.
The research compared their development with British adoptees.
Children's physical, intellectual, emotional and social development was followed over time.
Many children showed developmental difficulties when first adopted.
Later outcomes were strongly related to the age at which children were adopted.
Children adopted relatively early generally showed greater recovery.
Children exposed to institutional care for longer were more likely to show continuing difficulties.
Reported effects included delayed intellectual development and disinhibited attachment.
Past marking guidance also credits delayed language development, poor physical growth and quasi-autistic characteristics among some later-adopted children.
Useful discussion includes:
Romanian orphan research had far greater real-world relevance than deliberately creating deprivation experimentally
the longitudinal nature of the research allows development to be tracked over time
adoption into supportive families shows that the effects of early institutionalisation are not necessarily irreversible
age-of-adoption findings suggest a sensitive period in development
the extreme conditions in Romanian institutions make generalisation to ordinary institutional or foster care difficult
children could not be randomly assigned to deprivation, so causal conclusions are more difficult
findings have major practical implications for adoption, foster care and continuity of caregivers
the research helped encourage changes in institutional care, including greater emphasis on stable caregivers and early placement
The 2024 mark scheme highlights both the strong relationship between recovery and age of adoption and the broader implications for the care system. It also notes that the findings can be used to argue for a sensitive rather than completely fixed critical period.
Discuss the influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships.
How to answer this question
There are two stages of later relationships in the title:
childhood relationships
adult relationships
Make sure both receive attention.
The key theoretical link is Bowlby's internal working model. Explain how the first attachment may create expectations about later relationships, then assess the research connecting early attachment with friendships, bullying and romantic relationships.
Indicative points
You could include:
Bowlby's internal working model proposes that the first attachment creates a mental representation or blueprint of relationships.
A child who experiences sensitive and reliable care may expect other people to be trustworthy.
A child with an insecure early attachment may develop less positive expectations about later relationships.
Early attachment may therefore influence childhood friendships and peer relationships.
Research has investigated links between attachment and experiences such as friendship quality and bullying.
Past mark schemes identify research such as Myron-Wilson and Smith as relevant to childhood relationships.
Early attachment may also influence adult romantic relationships.
Secure attachment has been associated with more positive and stable adult relationships.
Insecure attachment has been associated with patterns such as difficulty with intimacy or commitment.
Hazan and Shaver's research can be used to examine associations between early attachment patterns and adult romantic relationships.
The internal working model may also influence later parenting, meaning attachment patterns could show continuity across generations.
For discussion, consider:
research showing associations between early and later relationships supports the internal working model
many findings are correlational, so early attachment cannot automatically be said to cause adult relationship patterns
temperament or family circumstances could influence both early attachment and later social relationships
adult attachment research often depends on self-report and retrospective memories
memories of childhood attachment may be inaccurate
securely and insecurely attached children do not all follow the same developmental path
later experiences can change expectations and relationship behaviour
a deterministic interpretation of the internal working model therefore goes beyond what the evidence can establish
A useful examiner point concerns the internal working model itself. Students should not suggest that a child with poor early attachment has no internal working model. The model would instead be based on that early experience and may provide a less positive template for later relationships.
Final tips for AQA A-Level Psychology Attachment essays
Across these Attachment essays, there are a few recurring ways to improve your answer:
Keep the exact focus of the question. "Discuss Lorenz" is not an invitation to write everything you know about Bowlby or Harlow.
Turn research into evaluation. Do not just name a supporting study, explain what its findings mean for the theory.
Be precise about terminology. Imprinting, monotropy, critical period, internal working model, deprivation and institutionalisation are not interchangeable.
Avoid generic animal-study evaluation. Explain what species differences mean for conclusions about human attachment.
Distinguish deprivation from privation and institutionalisation. These are related topics but describe different experiences.
For cultural variation, actually compare cultures. Naming an attachment type and a country is not enough.
For later relationships, cover both childhood and adulthood when both are named in the question.
Challenge determinism carefully. Early attachment may influence later development without fixing it permanently.
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