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Attachment-related biases in adolescents' memory
Matthew J Dykas1, Susan S Woodhouse, Jason D Jones
1State University of New York at Oswego.
Child Development
|July 22, 2014
Summary
This study reveals how attachment styles affect memory in adolescents. Dismissing attachment reduces memory for emotional events, while preoccupied attachment enhances it for childhood experiences.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Attachment theory posits internal working models shape social information processing.
- Adolescent social cognition is influenced by early attachment experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between adolescent attachment representations and social information processing.
- To examine memory biases associated with different attachment styles in adolescents.
Main Methods:
- 189 adolescents (mean age 16.5 years) completed laboratory tasks.
- Memory for emotional childhood events, parent adjectives, and generalized parent characteristics was assessed.
- Attachment representations were evaluated using the Adult Attachment Interview.
Main Results:
- Dismissing attachment correlated with a deactivating memory strategy, reducing recall of emotional events and attachment stimuli.
- Preoccupied attachment showed a hyperactivating strategy, enhancing memory specifically for emotional childhood events.
Conclusions:
- Attachment representations significantly influence adolescents' memory processing strategies.
- Dismissing attachment leads to memory deactivation, whereas preoccupied attachment can lead to memory hyperactivation for emotional experiences.
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