How Early Experiences Shape the Brain: The Role of Internal Working Models

Early relationships are not just important; they are biologically and psychologically formative. From the very beginning of life, a baby’s brain develops through experience, but these experiences do more than shape neural connections, they also shape how a child comes to understand themselves, others, and the world. 

One of the most important ways this happens is through the development of internal working models. The concept of internal working models was introduced by John Bowlby as part of attachment theory. He proposed that, through repeated interactions with caregivers, infants begin to build mental representations of relationships. These early patterns become internal “templates” that guide expectations, feelings, and behaviours in future relationships, including those in adolescence and adulthood. Although babies cannot express these ideas in words, they are constantly learning through experience. 

In simple terms, internal working models are shaped through implicit answers to questions such as: Am I safe? Will someone respond when I am distressed? Do my needs matter?

At the same time, these relational experiences are shaping the developing brain. Research from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child shows that the brain is built through ongoing interactions between children and their caregivers. Neural connections are strengthened through repeated use, especially in the context of responsive, back-and-forth interactions. When caregivers respond with warmth, sensitivity, and consistency, babies experience patterns of care that support both brain development and emotional meaning-making. For example, when a distressed infant is soothed, neural pathways associated with calming and regulation are strengthened. At the same time, the child begins to form an internal expectation that others can be trusted and that help is available.

This understanding is closely linked to the work of Mary Ainsworth, whose research demonstrated that sensitive caregiving supports the development of secure attachment. Secure attachment provides a foundation from which children can explore their environment, manage emotions, and build relationships with confidence, skills that continue to influence wellbeing across the lifespan.

One of the simplest ways I like to explain this to parents is: when a child experiences their needs being met in a consistent and responsive way, they begin to build an internal message: “My needs matter.” And over time, that becomes something even deeper: “I matter.” 

This is one of the earliest foundations of confidence, not something we teach directly, but something children come to feel through repeated experiences of being seen, heard, and responded to.

Early experiences also shape the developing stress response system. When babies are consistently comforted, the brain learns that distress can be managed, supporting a more balanced response to stress over time. In contrast, when caregiving is inconsistent or unresponsive, children may begin to develop different expectations, both in their internal working models and in how their brain responds to stress. These early patterns can influence how individuals cope with stress, regulate emotions, and relate to others later in life.

In this way, early experiences shape both the physical architecture of the brain and the internal models that guide how children understand relationships. These models do not determine a child’s future, but they provide a powerful foundation for how children (and later adults) interpret the world, respond to others, and manage emotional experiences.

Importantly, these patterns are not fixed. The brain is highly adaptable in early life, a quality known as plasticity, which allows it to change and reorganize in response to experience. This means that while early experiences are especially influential, new relationships and supportive environments can continue to shape development over time.

Understanding how early experiences shape the brain reminds us of something both simple and profound: through everyday interactions, babies are not only growing, they are learning, moment by moment, what it feels like to be safe, to be understood, and to be connected.

Author

Angelica Georghiades

Certified Parenting Coach | Infant Mental Health Advocate 

Angali Parent & Child - Nicosia, Cyprus