At the Intersection of Social and Cognitive Development: Internal Working Models of Attachment in Infancy.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Johnson, Susan C.; Dweck, Carol S.; Chen, Frances S.; Stern, Hilarie L.; Ok, Su-Jeong; Barth, Maria
- Source
- Cognitive Science; Jul2010, Vol. 34 Issue 5, p807-825, 19p, 3 Diagrams, 3 Graphs
- Subject
- Cognitive development
Social development
Caregivers
Individual differences
Attachment behavior in children
Infants
Cognition in children
- Language
- ISSN
- 03640213
Three visual habituation studies using abstract animations tested the claim that infants' attachment behavior in the Strange Situation procedure corresponds to their expectations about caregiver-infant interactions. Three unique patterns of expectations were revealed. Securely attached infants expected infants to seek comfort from caregivers and expected caregivers to provide comfort. Insecure-resistant infants not only expected infants to seek comfort from caregivers but also expected caregivers to withhold comfort. Insecure-avoidant infants expected infants to avoid seeking comfort from caregivers and expected caregivers to withhold comfort. These data support original claims-that infants form internal working models of attachment that are expressed in infants' own behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]