Antecedents of infant attachment : a Meta-analysis of the relative influence of infant temperament and maternal sensitivity /
The primary goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, and Wall, 1978) classifications of attachment, the Attachment Q-sort (AQS; Vaughn & Waters, 1990; Waters, 1987; Waters & Deane, 1985), and infant irritable distress (ID),...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1999.
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| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=730316751&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The primary goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, and Wall, 1978) classifications of attachment, the Attachment Q-sort (AQS; Vaughn & Waters, 1990; Waters, 1987; Waters & Deane, 1985), and infant irritable distress (ID), fearful distress (FD), positive emotionality (PE), and difficultness (D). Secondary analyses investigated potential moderators of the attachment-temperament relationship, as well as relationships between attachment, temperament, and maternal sensitivity. This review included 22 published and 1 1 unpublished empirical studies (N= 2365). Significant effect sizes were noted between FD and AQS attachment r (11 = 444) = -.16, PE and secure vs. resistant attachment x (n = 272) = -.17, D and the A1-B2 vs. B3-C2 subcategories of attachment r (11 = 358) = . 13, and D and AQS attachment r (n = 715) = -.22. Sensitivity was related to FD, t (11 = 83) = .32. Significant effect sizes were also noted between sensitivity and secure vs. insecure attachment r (1) = 763) = -.13, secure vs. avoidant attachment t (1) = 547) = -.19, and secure vs. resistant attachment r (1) = 550) = -.11. It was concluded that: (a) the Strange Situation and the AQS measures of attachment appear to be measuring very different aspects of attachment, (b) there is not a relationship between traditional Strange Situation attachment classifications and temperament but there does appear to be a relationship between the AQS index and temperament, (c) maternal age, and education, as well as infant age at assessment appear to moderate the relationship between temperament and attachment, (d) parents tend to report a stronger relationship between infant temperament and attachment than observers, (e) maternal sensitivity appears to be positively related to fearful distress, (9 maternal sensitivity also appears to be related to differences between attachment security and insecurity, but does not appear to distinguish avoidant from resistant infants, and (g) maternal sensitivity and infant temperament appear to be independently related to attachment security. These results provide further evidence that maternal sensitivity is an important but not an exclusive condition of attachment security. Methodologically complex, context-sensitive models must be employed in future investigations of the antecedents of attachment security. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Psychology". |
| Physical Description: | ix, 119 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-85). |