Attachment and emotional understanding in preschool children

Author(s): Thompson, R. A.

Journal/Book: Develop Psychol. 1998; 34: 750 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Amer Psychological Assoc. 1038-1045.

Abstract: This study was designed to elucidate the association between attachment and emotional understanding In preschool children. Forty children between the ages of 2.5 and 6 years and their mothers participated in the study. Mothers completed the Attachment Q-set, and children took part at their preschools in both an affective perspective-taking task and a series of interviews concerning naturally occurring incidents of emotions. Overall, age and attachment security predicted a child's aggregate score on the emotional understanding tasks. However, when the score was separated by the valence of the emotion, attachment security and age predicted a child's score for only those emotions with a negative valence (e.g., sadness) and not for those emotions with a positive valence (e.g., happiness). Thus, a secure attachment relationship seems to be important in fostering a child's understanding of emotion, primarily negative emotions.

Note: Article Laible DJ, Univ Nebraska, Dept Psychol, Lincoln,NE 68588 USA

Keyword(s): INTERNAL WORKING MODELS; EARLY-CHILDHOOD; BEHAVIOR; COMPETENCE; SECURITY; STATES; OTHERS; SELF

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