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Attachment behavior, attachment security, and temperament during infancy.

B E Vaughn1, G B Lefever, R Seifer

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago 60680.

Child Development
|June 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Infant temperament, or behavioral style, does not predict attachment security in the Ainsworth Strange Situation. However, temperamental difficulty is linked to negative emotionality during separations, suggesting a nuanced relationship.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Attachment classifications from the Ainsworth Strange Situation may reflect temperament rather than solely attachment quality.
  • Previous research suggests a potential link between infant temperament and attachment behaviors.
  • Investigating the interplay between innate behavioral styles and caregiver-infant bonding is crucial for understanding early development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the relationship between temperament dimensions and behaviors observed in the Ainsworth Strange Situation.
  • To test whether temperament dimensions and diagnoses (e.g., 'easy' vs. 'difficult' infant) are associated with attachment classifications.
  • To examine the hypothesis that temperamental difficulty relates to negative emotionality during separation and reunion phases.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Infant Temperament Questionnaire (Revised) to assess temperament dimensions.
  • Observed and categorized infant behaviors during the Ainsworth Strange Situation.
  • Analyzed the correlation between temperament scores, behavioral style, and attachment quality classifications.

Main Results:

  • Temperamental difficulty was significantly associated with negative emotionality, specifically infant distress during separation.
  • Temperament dimensions and diagnoses (e.g., 'easy' or 'difficult') were not significantly associated with attachment classifications.
  • Certain behaviors indicative of negative emotionality in the Strange Situation were related to temperamental variability.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support previous research indicating that temperament measures do not predict attachment security.
  • While temperament doesn't determine attachment classification, it influences specific emotional behaviors within the Strange Situation.
  • Highlights the importance of considering temperamental variability when interpreting infant emotional responses in attachment assessments.