Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
09:55
Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Discriminant validity of the adult attachment interview
J A Crowell1, E Waters, D Treboux
1Department of Psychology, SUNY-Stony Brook 11794-2500, USA.
Child Development
|October 1, 1996
Summary
The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) measures adult attachment representations. This study confirms the AAI
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is a key tool for assessing adult attachment representations.
- Ensuring the discriminant validity of the AAI is crucial to differentiate attachment constructs from cognitive abilities and social factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the discriminant validity of the AAI.
- To assess the relationship between AAI classifications and intelligence, social desirability, discourse style, and general social adjustment.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 53 married women with preschool children was assessed.
- Participants completed the AAI, a written IQ test, the Social Adjustment Scale, the Employment Experience Interview, and a social desirability measure.
Main Results:
- Modest but significant correlations were found between AAI scores and IQ and social adjustment.
- No significant relationship was observed between AAI classifications and discourse style or social desirability.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the interpretation of the AAI as a valid measure of attachment.
- The AAI appears to be distinct from measures of intelligence, social desirability, and discourse style.
Related Concept Videos
03:34Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.
01:20Attachment
Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
01:24Attachment Styles
Jeffrey Simpson's attachment theory suggests that early caregiver relationships shape lasting patterns of behavior and emotional regulation, known as attachment styles. These patterns are organized along two key dimensions: self-esteem and interpersonal trust. The intersection of these dimensions produces four primary attachment styles that typically persist throughout life and significantly influence how individuals form and maintain relationships.Secure Attachment StyleIndividuals with a...
01:28Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
Attachment theory, developed initially to explain infant–caregiver bonds, has been extended to illuminate patterns of intimacy in adult romantic relationships. Psychologists Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver proposed that the attachment styles observed in infancy form a framework for how individuals approach emotional closeness and conflict in adulthood. These attachment styles—secure, avoidant, and anxious—are linked to enduring patterns of behavior and emotional regulation in adult relationships.