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Relations between attachment, gender, and behavior with peers in preschool

P J Turner1

  • 1M.R.C. Development & Integration of Behaviour Group, University of Cambridge, U.K.

Child Development
|December 1, 1991
PubMed

Insights

Attachment security in 4-year-olds links to peer interactions differently for boys and girls. Insecure boys displayed more disruptive behaviors, while insecure girls showed more dependency and compliance, highlighting gender-specific social development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Attachment theory is crucial for understanding social development.
  • Peer interactions are vital for children's social and emotional growth.
  • Gender differences in social behavior are well-documented but require nuanced investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate concurrent links between attachment security and peer interactions in 4-year-old children.
  • To explore potential gender differences in the relationship between attachment and social behavior.
  • To determine if attachment classification predicts peer interactions differently for boys and girls.

Main Methods:

  • Laboratory assessment of attachment security using reunion episodes after a brief separation.
  • Observational study of children's peer interactions during free play in a preschool setting.
  • Analysis of behavioral data from 40 children and their mothers.

Main Results:

  • Insecure boys exhibited more aggressive, disruptive, assertive, controlling, and attention-seeking behaviors compared to secure boys.
  • Insecure girls displayed more dependent behavior but less assertive and controlling behavior than secure girls.
  • Secure girls and secure boys showed no significant differences in peer interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Attachment security is concurrently linked to peer interactions in early childhood.
  • Gender moderates the relationship between attachment insecurity and specific social behaviors.
  • Attachment classification may have differential predictive value for boys' and girls' social behavior.

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