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Biobehavioral organization in securely and insecurely attached infants
1Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, FRG.
Insights
Infant attachment security shows individual differences, impacting social-emotional development. Biobehavioral measures reveal insecure-avoidant infants have similar arousal to secure infants during separation but lack coping strategies, as shown by cortisol levels.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Attachment theory
- Biobehavioral research
Background:
- Individual differences in infant-mother attachment security emerge in the first year.
- Attachment security is crucial for later social-emotional development.
- Disagreements exist regarding the interpretation of infant attachment behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate infant attachment security using a biobehavioral perspective.
- To reconcile differing interpretations of attachment behaviors assessed by Ainsworth's Strange Situation.
- To examine cardiac and cortisol responses in infants during separation and reunion.
Main Methods:
- Assessed infant attachment security using Ainsworth's Strange Situation.
- Measured cardiac activity during separation and reunion.
- Analyzed cortisol levels in insecure-avoidant, disorganized, and secure infants.
Main Results:
- Insecure-avoidant infants displayed less overt distress but similar overall cardiac arousal to secure infants during separation.
- Cardiac responses differed between insecure-avoidant and secure infants concerning object versus person orientation during reunion.
- Elevated cortisol levels were found in insecure-avoidant and disorganized infants, suggesting a lack of coping strategies.
Conclusions:
- A biobehavioral approach clarifies attachment patterns, showing physiological similarities despite behavioral differences.
- Insecure-avoidant and disorganized infants may lack effective coping mechanisms compared to secure infants.
- Attachment security in infancy has lasting implications for emotional regulation and social development.
Abstract:
Attachment research has shown the emergence of individual differences in the security of infant-mother attachment during the first year of life as well as their importance for later social-emotional development. A biobehavioral perspective may help settle disagreements about the validity and interpretation of 12-month-old infants' different behavioral patterns of attachment assessed by Ainsworth's Strange Situation. It was shown that, despite less overt distress in insecure-avoidant infants after short separations from the mother, overall cardiac measures indicate arousal patterns similar to the secure infants during separation. However, differences in cardiac response emerged with regard to object versus person orientation during reunion. Additionally, findings of increased cortisol in both insecure-avoidant and disorganized infants support the theoretical interpretation that these infants, in contrast to secure infants, lack an appropriate coping strategy.