scholarly journals Do Infant Faces Maintain the Attention of Adults With High Avoidant Attachment?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nü Long ◽  
Wei Yu ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Xiaohan Gong ◽  
Wen Zhang ◽  
...  

We investigated whether adults have attentional bias toward infant faces, whether it is moderated by infant facial expression, and the predictive effect of the adult attachment state on it. One hundred unmarried nulliparous college students [50 men and 50 women; aged 17–24 years (M = 19.70, SD = 1.35)] were recruited. Each completed a self-report questionnaire—the Chinese version of the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM), and a dot-probe task with a stimulus presentation duration of 500 ms, which used 192 black-and-white photographs of 64 people (32 infants and 32 adults; each person displayed three expressions: happy, neutral, and sad) as the experimental stimuli. The results showed that, at the duration of 500 ms, individuals' attentional bias toward infant faces disappeared, regardless of the facial expression. However, when the interaction between avoidant attachment state and face was controlled, the attentional bias was significant again, and the avoidant attachment state negatively predicted individuals' attentional bias toward infant faces. This indicates that at the suprathreshold stage, there are individual differences in the attentional bias toward infant faces, and high avoidant attachment will weaken individuals' attentional bias toward infant faces. This study advances previous studies that focused only on individuals' attention to infant faces occurring at the early processing stage of attention. The results provide direction for interventions; specifically, changing the attachment state of avoidant individuals can affect their attention to infants, which may promote the establishment of parent–child relationships.

Author(s):  
Kazunori Iwasa ◽  
Toshiki Ogawa

We examined the relationship between texture responses (T) on the Rorschach and adult attachment in the Japanese population. 47 Japanese undergraduate and graduate students (mean age = 20.16, SD = 1.87) completed a self-report adult attachment scale as well as the Rorschach. An ANOVA revealed that T = 1 participants were attached more securely than were other groups. T > 1 participants were more preoccupied with attachment and scored higher on an attachment anxiety scale than the T = 1 group. Although these results were consistent with the interpretation of the texture response according to the Comprehensive System (CS), the results obtained for T = 0 participants were inconsistent with hypotheses derived from the CS. T = 0 participants were high on preoccupied and attachment anxiety scores, although they were theoretically expected to be high on dismissing or attachment avoidance. These results indicated that – at least in Japan – T should be regarded as a sensitive measure of attachment anxiety.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Pereira ◽  
Jaclyn A. Ludmer ◽  
Andrea Gonzalez ◽  
Leslie Atkinson

This study examined maternal depressive symptoms, social support, parenting, and adult attachment as mediators explaining the relation between maternal childhood maltreatment and child behavior in offspring. We assessed a community sample of 96 mother–child dyads. At child age 16 months, mothers self-reported maltreatment history, adult attachment, depressive symptoms, and social support, and maternal sensitivity was assessed via 2 hr of direct behavioral observation. Maternal reports of child behavior were collected at 5 years. Single and parallel mediation models were constructed. Only maternal depressive symptoms mediated the relation between maternal maltreatment history and children’s internalizing problems. Maternal sensitivity emerged as a suppressor variable. With respect to the relation between maternal maltreatment history and children’s externalizing problems, when entered singly, maternal depressive symptoms, social support, and avoidant attachment emerged as mediators. When examined in parallel, only maternal depressive symptoms and avoidant attachment accounted for unique mediating variance. Findings have implications with respect to important maternal factors that might be targeted to reduce the probability of maladaptive child behavior.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Van Malderen ◽  
Eva Kemps ◽  
Laurence Claes ◽  
Sandra Verbeken ◽  
Lien Goossens

IntroductionOne in three adolescents frequently consume unhealthy snacks, which is associated with negative developmental outcomes. To date, it remains unclear how intrapersonal factors account for food choices in adolescents. Guided by the dual-pathway model, the current study aimed to: (1) examine the joint contribution of inhibitory control and attentional bias in predicting unhealthy food choices in adolescents, and (2) determine whether this mechanism is more pronounced in adolescents who experience loss of control over eating (LOC).Materials and MethodsA community sample of 80 adolescents (65% female; 10–17 years old, Mage = 13.28, SD = 1.94) was recruited. Based on a self-report questionnaire, 28.7% of this sample reported at least one episode of LOC over the past month. Food choice was assessed using a computerized food choice task. Both inhibitory control and attentional bias were measured with behavioral tasks (go/no-go and dot probe task, respectively). Binary logistic regressions were conducted to address the research questions.ResultsInhibitory control and attentional bias did not significantly interact to predict unhealthy food choices. However, there was a significant three-way interaction between inhibitory control, attentional bias and LOC. For adolescents without LOC, the combination of poor inhibitory control and low attentional bias was significantly associated with unhealthy food choice. Surprisingly, for adolescents with LOC, there was no significant association between unhealthy food choice and inhibitory control or attentional bias.DiscussionDual-pathway processes do not seem to add to the explanation of food choice behavior for adolescents with LOC. For adolescents who do not experience LOC, those with poor inhibitory control combined with low attentional bias might be at particular risk for making unhealthy food choices.


Author(s):  
Ελένη Κυργερίδου ◽  
Παναγιώτα Βόρρια ◽  
Γρηγόρης Κιοσέογλου

The current study examined the association between attachment style and adjustment in romantic relationships as well as the association between perceptions of adult attachment and adjustment in romantic relationships. 65 cohabitating couples aged from 21 to 32 years were recruited for the study. Couples completed the following self-report questionnaires: 1) Perceptions of Adult Attachment Questionnaire, PAAQ, Lichtenstein & Cassidy, 1991, 2) Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, ECR, Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998 and 3) Dyadic Adjustment Scale, DAS, Spanier, 1976. Results showed that secure couples (both partners described themselves as securely attached) as well as mixed couples (one partner chose the secure description and the other defined himself or herself as insecure) reported higher relationship quality compared to both insecure couples (both partners described themselves as insecurely attached). Analyses aimed to test the links between early attachment experiences and marital relationship quality illustrated that both partners’ rejection from their mother in early childhood had a detrimental effect on women’s marital adjustment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie J. Zimmer-Gembeck ◽  
Haley J. Webb ◽  
Christopher A. Pepping ◽  
Kellie Swan ◽  
Ourania Merlo ◽  
...  

Attachment theorists have described the parent–child attachment relationship as a foundation for the emergence and development of children’s capacity for emotion regulation and coping with stress. The purpose of this review was to summarize the existing research addressing this issue. We identified 23 studies that employed validated assessments of attachment, which were not based on self-report questionnaires, and separated the summary into findings for toddlers/preschool, children, and adolescents. Although most associations were weak and only a minority of the multiple possible associations tested was supported in each study, all studies (but one) reported at least one significant association between attachment and emotion regulation or coping. The evidence pointed to the regulatory and coping problems of toddlers showing signs of ambivalent attachment or the benefits of secure (relative to insecure) attachment for toddlers, children, and adolescents. Toddlers who showed signs of avoidant attachment relied more on self-related regulation (or less social-oriented regulation and coping), but it was not clear whether these responses were maladaptive. There was little information available regarding associations of ambivalent attachment with school-age children’s or adolescents’ emotion regulation. There were also few studies that assessed disorganized attachment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Berry ◽  
Paul Fleming ◽  
Samantha Wong ◽  
Sandra Bucci

Background: Childhood adversity, dissociation and adult attachment have all been implicated in the development of hallucinations or ‘voice-hearing’. Testing psychological models in relation to subclinical phenomena, such as proneness to hallucinations in non-clinical samples, provides a convenient methodology to develop understanding of the processes and mechanisms underlying clinical symptoms. Aims: This paper investigates the relative contribution of childhood adversity, dissociation and adult attachment in explaining hallucination proneness in a non-clinical sample. Methods: Students and staff with no previous contact with secondary care at the University of Manchester were recruited. Participants completed a series of self-report measures: the Launay‒Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS), the Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Dissociative Experiences Schedule (DES II) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results: As hypothesized, insecure attachment, childhood adversity and dissociative symptoms were correlated with hallucination proneness. Multiple regression analysis, controlling for confounds of age and negative affect, indicated that the RSQ, CTQ and DES II predicted hallucination proneness. Only DES II and RSQ avoidant attachment were significant independent predictors in the final model. Conclusions: This study provides further evidence to support the idea that attachment and dissociation are important psychological mechanisms involved in voice-hearing proneness. Further testing is required with a clinical population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S220-S220
Author(s):  
Nikki Hill ◽  
Jacqueline Mogle ◽  
Sakshi Bhargava ◽  
Tyler Bell ◽  
Rachel Wion

Abstract Personality traits, particularly neuroticism, have been associated with self-reported memory problems, but little is known regarding differences across racial groups. Community-dwelling older adults (n=425; M(SD) = 76.7(4.7) years; 62.6% female; 72.0% White) without cognitive impairment completed up to 11 annual comprehensive medical and neuropsychological examinations as part of the Einstein Aging Study. Multilevel modeling tested: 1) the association of neuroticism, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, and agreeableness with three types of self-reported memory problems (frequency, one-year decline, and ten-year decline), and 2) whether these associations differed by race, specifically Black and White. Neuroticism predicted self-reported frequency of memory problems and perceived one-year decline when considered alone; however, this did not remain significant after including all personality traits. Conscientiousness influenced perceived ten-year memory decline in Black older adults but not White. Our findings suggest that the influence of personality on self-reported memory problems may not be consistent across racial groups.


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