Foreword to ‘On the evolution of attachment-disordered behaviour’ by Helga Fischer-Mamblona

The study attempted to distinguish avoidant vs. secure infants at 1 year from 4-month infant behavior only, during a face-to-face play interaction with the mother. Thirty-five 4-month-old infants were coded second by second for infant gaze, head orientation, facial expression and self-touch/mouthing behavior. Mother behavior was not coded. At 1 year, 27 of these infants were classified as secure (B), and 8 as avoidant (A) attachment in the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Compared with the B infant, the future A infant spent less time paying ‘focused’ visual attention (a look of a minimum 2 seconds duration) to the mother's face. Only if the A infant engaged in self-touch/mouthing behavior did its focused visual attention match that of the B. Markovian t to t+1 transition matrices then showed that both for future A and for future B infants, focused visual attention on the mother constrained the movements of the head to within 60 degrees from center vis-à-vis, defining head/gaze co-ordination within an attentional-interpersonal space. However, infant maintenance of head/gaze co-ordination was associated with self-touch/mouthing behavior for the A infant but not the B. Positive affect was associated with a disruption of head/gaze co-ordination for the A but not the B. Whereas the B had more variable facial behavior, potentially providing more facial signaling for the mother, the A had more variable tactile/mouthing behavior, changing patterns of self-soothing more often. Thus, infants classified as A vs. B at 12 months showed different behavioral patterns in face-to-face play with their mothers as early as 4 months.     

Infant–mother and infant–sibling attachment in Zambia

This study, the first in Zambia using the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to observe attachment relationships and the “very first” observational study of infant–sibling attachment, examined patterns of infant–mother and infant–sibling attachment, and tested their association. We included siblings who were substantially involved in caregiving activities with their younger siblings. We hypothesized that infants would develop attachment relationships to both mothers and siblings; the majority of infants would be classified as securely attached to both caregivers, and infant–mother and infant–sibling attachment would be unrelated. The sample included 88 low-income families in Lusaka, Zambia (average of 3.5 children; SD = 1.5). The SSP distributions (infant–mother) were 59% secure, 24% avoidant and 17% resistant, and 46% secure, 20% avoidant, 5% resistant and 29% disorganized for three- and four-way classifications, respectively. The infant–sibling classifications were 42% secure, 23% avoidant and 35% resistant, and 35% secure, 23% avoidant, 9% resistant and 33% disorganized for three- and four-way classifications, respectively. Infant–mother and infant–sibling attachment relationships were not associated.     

Do infant behaviors following immunization predict attachment? An exploratory study

Objectives. The relationship between infant behaviors during routine immunization, pre- and post-needle, and infant attachment was explored. Methods. A total of 130 parent–infant dyads were recruited from a larger longitudinal study and videotaped during routine immunization at 12 months and the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) at 14 months. Six infant behaviors were coded for 1-minute pre-needle and 3-minutes post-needle. Attachment was operationalized according to the secure/avoidant/resistant/disorganized categories. Results. As expected, none of the pre-needle behaviors predicted attachment. Proximity-seeking post-needle significantly discriminated attachment categorizations. Secure infants were more likely to seek proximity to caregivers post-needle in comparison with avoidant and disorganized infants. Proximity-seeking following immunization was positively correlated with proximity-seeking during the SSP and negatively correlated with avoidance and disorganization during the SSP. Conclusions. Infant proximity-seeking during immunization is associated with attachment security and parallels behaviors observed during the SSP. More research is needed to identify behavioral markers of disorganization.     

Physiological measures of mother–infant interactional synchrony

Mother–infant interactional synchrony has been hypothesized to be crucial for the development of many key neurodevelopmental behaviors in infants, including speech and language. Assessing synchrony is challenging because many interactive behaviors may be subtlety, if at all, observable in overt behaviors. Physiological measures, therefore, may provide valuable physiological/biological markers of mother–infant synchrony. We have developed a multilevel measurement platform to assess physiological synchrony, attention, and vocal congruency during dynamic face-to-face mother–infant interactions. The present investigation was designed to provide preliminary data on its application in a group of 10 mother–infant dyads (20 subjects) ranging in age from 7 to 8.5 months at the time of the experimentation. Respiratory kinematics, heart rate, and vocalization were recorded simultaneously from mothers and infants during nonstructured, face-to-face interactions. Novel statistical methods were used to identify reliable moments of synchrony from cross-correlated, mother–infant respiration and to tag infant attention from heart rate deceleration. Results revealed that attention, vocal contingency, and respiratory synchrony are temporally clustered within the dyad interaction. This temporal alignment is consistent with the notion that biological synchrony provides a supportive platform for infant attention and mother–infant contingent vocalization.     

Attentional Characteristics of Infants and Toddlers With Williams Syndrome During Triadic Interactions

Two studies were conducted to consider the looking behavior of infants and toddlers with Williams syndrome (WS). In Study 1, the looking behavior of a 10-month-old girl with WS during play sessions with her mother and with a stranger was compared to that of 2 groups of infants who were developing normally (ND), 1 matched for chronological age and the other for developmental age. The infant with WS spent more than twice as much time looking at her mother as the infants in either contrast group did. She also spent twice as much time looking at the stranger. In addition, during 78% of this time, her gaze at the stranger was coded as extremely intense. Looks of this intensity were virtually never made by the ND infants. In Study 2, the looking behavior of 31 individuals with WS ages 8 to 43 months during a genetics evaluation was compared to that of 319 control children in the same age range (242 with developmental delay due to causes other than WS). Twenty-three of the 25 participants with WS aged 33 months or younger demonstrated extended and intense looking at the geneticist. In contrast, none of the control participants looked extensively or intently at the geneticist. Findings are discussed in the context of previous research on arousal and focused attention during normal development and on temperament and personality of older children and adults with WS. It is argued that the unusual looking patterns evidenced by infants and toddlers with WS presage the unusual temperament and personality of older individuals with WS, and the possibility of a genetic basis for these behaviors is addressed.     

Attentional Characteristics of Infants and Toddlers With Williams Syndrome During Triadic Interactions

Two studies were conducted to consider the looking behavior of infants and toddlers with Williams syndrome (WS). In Study 1, the looking behavior of a 10-month-old girl with WS during play sessions with her mother and with a stranger was compared to that of 2 groups of infants who were developing normally (ND), 1 matched for chronological age and the other for developmental age. The infant with WS spent more than twice as much time looking at her mother as the infants in either contrast group did. She also spent twice as much time looking at the stranger. In addition, during 78% of this time, her gaze at the stranger was coded as extremely intense. Looks of this intensity were virtually never made by the ND infants. In Study 2, the looking behavior of 31 individuals with WS ages 8 to 43 months during a genetics evaluation was compared to that of 319 control children in the same age range (242 with developmental delay due to causes other than WS). Twenty-three of the 25 participants with WS aged 33 months or younger demonstrated extended and intense looking at the geneticist. In contrast, none of the control participants looked extensively or intently at the geneticist. Findings are discussed in the context of previous research on arousal and focused attention during normal development and on temperament and personality of older children and adults with WS. It is argued that the unusual looking patterns evidenced by infants and toddlers with WS presage the unusual temperament and personality of older individuals with WS, and the possibility of a genetic basis for these behaviors is addressed.     

Attentional characteristics of infants and toddlers with Williams syndrome during triadic interactions

Two studies were conducted to consider the looking behavior of infants and toddlers with Williams syndrome (WS).In Study 1,the looking behavior of a 10-month-old girl with WS during play sessions with her mother and with a stranger was compared to that of 2 groups of infants who were developing normally (ND),1 matched for chronological age and the other for developmental age. The infant with WS spent more than twice as much time looking at her mother as the infants in either contrast group did. She also spent twice as much time looking at the stranger.In addition, during 78%of this time, her gaze at the stranger was coded as extremely intense. Looks of this intensity were virtually never made by the ND infants. In Study 2,the looking behavior of 31 individuals with WS ages 8 to 43 months during a genetics evaluation was compared to that of 319 control children in the same age range (242 with developmental delay due to causes other than WS).Twenty-three of the 25 participants with WS aged 33 months or younger demonstrated extended and intense looking at the geneticist. In contrast, none of the control participants looked extensively or intently at the geneticist. Findings are discussed in the context of previous research on arousal and focused attention during normal development and on temperament and personality of older children and adults with WS. It is argued that the unusual looking patterns evidenced by infants and toddlers with WS presage the unusual temperament and personality of older individuals with WS, and the possibility of a genetic basis for these behaviors is addressed.     

Differentiating among insecure mother-infant attachment classifications: a focus on child-friend interaction and exploration during solitary play at 36 months

Utilizing data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, the primary objective of the current report was to examine how avoidant and resistant mother - infant attachment classifications at 15 months were differentially associated with children's interaction with a same-sex friend and exploration during solitary play at 36 months. The added contributions of attachment security at 36 months and maternal sensitivity from 6 to 36 months to the prediction of child outcomes were also explored. As hypothesized, an avoidant attachment history was related to more instrumental aggression during child-friend interaction, whereas a resistant attachment history was associated with less self-assertion/control among friends and less attention and pretend play during exploration. Maternal sensitivity and concurrent attachment security also made unique contributions to the prediction of child outcomes at 36 months, although associations with 15-month attachment remained significant when these subsequent measures of the mother - child relationship were considered. Few differences emerged for the disorganized mother - infant attachment category in this relatively low-risk sample. Results underscore the need to differentiate between avoidant and resistant attachment groups and illustrate how early attachment history and subsequent indices of the mother - child relationship contribute to children's functioning.     

Functional analysis of spontaneous movements in preterm infants

Spontaneous movements of premature infants between 25 and 34 weeks conceptional age were observed for 1 hr on two or three occasions. Subjects had low-risk prognoses and were clinically stable at the time of testing. Behavioral acts were scored using a 0/1 time sampling technique in 60 continuous, 1-min time blocks. Temporal associations between individual movements were found using chi-square analyses. Some associated behaviors contained combinations consistent with neonatal action patterns, for example, single and bilateral leg kicking, head turning, and mouthing. Features of state organization were also evident in that general motor activity (GM), which has been used as a marker of active sleep (AS) in neonates, was found to cluster temporally with startle, facial, and head movements but not eye movements. Behavioral quiescence (≥5 s) was dissociated from AS-related behaviors (GM, facial, head, and eye movements). Combinations of state-segregated behaviors were more likely to exhibit co-occurrence within 1-min intervals in infant 30 weeks conceptional age and older.     

Contingencies Between Infants’ Gaze,Vocal, and Manual Actions and Mothers’ Object-Naming: Longitudinal Changes From 4 to 9 Months

ABSTRACT

Infants’ early motor actions help organize social interactions, forming the context of caregiver speech. We investigated changes across the first year in social contingencies between infant gaze and object exploration, and mothers’ speech. We recorded mother–infant object play at 4, 6, and 9 months, identifying infants’ and mothers’ gaze and hand actions, and mothers’ object naming and general utterances. Mothers named objects more when infants vocalized, looked at objects or the mother’s face, or handled multiple objects. As infants aged, their increasing object exploration created opportunities for caregiver contingencies and changed how gaze and hands accompany object naming over time.     

Infant and adult visual attention during an imitation demonstration

Deferred imitation tasks have shown that manipulations at encoding can enhance infant learning and memory performance within an age, suggesting that brain maturation alone cannot fully account for all developmental changes in early memory abilities. The present study investigated whether changes in the focus of attention during learning might contribute to improving memory abilities during infancy. Infants aged 6, 9, and 12 months, and an adult comparison group, watched a video of a puppet imitation demonstration while visual behavior was recorded on an eye tracker. Overall, infants spent less time attending to the video than adults, and distributed their gaze more equally across the demonstrator and puppet stimulus. In contrast, adults directed their gaze primarily to the puppet. When infants were tested for their behavioral recall of the target actions, “imitators” were shown to have increased attention to the person and decreased attention to the background compared to “non‐imitators.” These results suggest that attention during learning is related to memory outcome and that changes in attention may be one mechanism by which manipulations to the learning event may enhance infant recall memory. © 2013 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.. Dev Psychobiol 56: 770–782, 2014.     

Is one secure attachment enough? Infant cortisol reactivity and the security of infant-mother and infant-father attachments at the end of the first year

ABSTRACT

Attachment security is theorized to shape stress reactivity, but extant work has failed to find consistent links between attachment security to mothers and infant cortisol reactivity. We examined family configurations of infant-mother and infant-father attachment security in relation to infant cortisol reactivity. One-year old infants (N = 180) participated in the Strange Situation with mothers and fathers in two counterbalanced lab visits, one month apart (12 and 13 months). Infants with secure attachments only to their fathers and not their mothers had higher cortisol levels than infants with a secure attachment to mother and also exhibited a blunted cortisol response (high at baseline and then a decrease after stress). Results suggest that a secure attachment to father may not be enough to reduce infant stress reactivity when the infant-mother attachment is insecure, and future research is needed to uncover the family dynamics that underlie different family configurations of attachment security.     

Forming attachments in foster care: infant attachment behaviors during the first 2 months of placement

This study investigated the development of attachment relationships in 38 foster infant-caregiver dyads over the first 2 months of placement. We used the Parent Attachment Diary to measure foster infants' daily attachment behaviors, the Adult Attachment Interview to examine foster parents' attachment states of mind, and Ainsworth's Strange Situation to capture attachment classifications. We examined differences in diary scales (secure, avoidant, resistant, and coherence) as they related to age at placement and foster parent attachment, using hierarchical linear modeling and analyses of variance. The results indicated infants with autonomous foster parents and infants placed at younger ages showed higher early and overall levels of secure behavior, less avoidant behavior, and more coherent attachment strategies compared to infants placed with nonautonomous foster parents. Changes in attachment behaviors over time were not predicted by the models; however, there was a significant decrease in the daily coherence of attachment behaviors associated with Strange Situation disorganization. Finally, we found significant concordance between the diary and Strange Situation scales for secure and avoidant behaviors.     

Maternal attachment style,sensitivity, and infant obesity risk in low-income,Latino families

ABSTRACT

Disparities in childhood obesity highlight the need for research to identify its early predictors in high-risk populations, such as low-income, Latino families. In the current study, the first of its kind in a low-income Latino sample (N = 55; M _{child age} = 12.74 months, SD = 3.96), we investigated whether mothers’ self-reported attachment style predicted their infants’ weight-for-length (WFL; an early indicator of childhood obesity). We also explored whether observed maternal sensitivity, coded from a video-recorded semi-structured play assessment, mediated this association. We found a significant direct effect of maternal attachment style on infants’ WFL z-scores (c’ = ?0.68, SE = 0.22, p = .004). Infants of mothers who classified themselves as secure had lower WFL z-scores than infants of insecure mothers (avoidant or anxious). Maternal sensitivity did not mediate this association, but was positively associated with infant WFL z-scores. We discuss implications of these findings for future research.     

Maternal sensitivity and infant attachment security in Korea: cross-cultural validation of the Strange Situation

The present study sought to analyze infant and maternal behavior both during the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and a free play session in a Korean sample (N = 87) to help understand whether mother-infant attachment relationships are universal or culture-specific. Distributions of attachment classifications in the Korean sample were compared with a cross-national sample. Behavior of mothers and infants following the two separation episodes in the SSP, including mothers' proximity to their infants and infants' approach to the caregiver, was also observed, as was the association between maternal sensitivity observed during free play session and infant security. The percentage of Korean infants classified as secure versus insecure mirrored the global distribution, however, only one Korean baby was classified as avoidant. Following the separation episodes in the Strange Situation, Korean mothers were more likely than mothers in Ainsworth's Baltimore sample to approach their babies immediately and sit beside them throughout the reunion episodes, even when their babies were no longer distressed. Also, Korean babies less often approached their mothers during reunions than did infants in the Baltimore sample. Finally, the link between maternal sensitivity and infant security was significant. The findings support the idea that the basic secure base function of attachment is universal and the SSP is a valid measure of secure attachment, but cultural differences in caregiving may result in variations in how this function is manifested.     

Lateral asymmetry in attention for three-month-old human infants during face-to-face interaction with mother

A soft grip the size of an adult index finger was placed in the palm of 3-month-old human infants during face-to-face interaction with their mothers. In a between-subjects experiment, half the subjects interacted with mother for 3 min with no grip, which was followed by a 3 min interaction with the grip in the left hand; for the other half, the grip was placed in the right hand in the second condition. A within-subjects experiment compared the grip interaction for 3 min first in one hand and then in the other. The grip did not significantly alter the infant's gaze at mother, smiling, or positive vocalizations. The movements of the hand with the grip were suppressed similarly for left and right hands. Lateral asymmetry was found for looking to the left side when the grip was in the left hand, compared to no lateral preference in looking during any other condition. The results support a model of right-side dominance for attention control in infants.     

Cortisol secretion moderates the association between mother–infant attachment at 17 months and child behavior at age 5 years

This study examined infant cortisol secretion as a moderator of the association between mother–infant attachment security at age 17 months and child behavior at age 5 years. A longitudinal community sample of 96 mother–child dyads participated in the strange situation procedure (SSP) at age 17 months. Cortisol was collected at baseline, and at 20 and 40 min post-SSP. Maternal reports of child behavior were collected at age 5 years. Results revealed that the associations between nonsecure mother–infant attachment and higher total, internalizing, and externalizing behavior were stronger for infants with high cortisol secretion, relative to infants with low cortisol secretion. The model of interaction differed depending on the outcome, with diathesis-stress explaining variance in total as well as internalizing behavior, and with differential susceptibility explaining variance in externalizing behavior. These findings augment our understanding of risk and resilience to the impact of the early rearing environment on later psychopathology.     

Ainsworth revisited: An empirical analysis of interactive behavior in the home

Abstract

Naturalistic assessment of maternal and infant interactive behavior using q-sorts has typically focused on rationally derived variables, such as maternal sensitivity and infant security. In the current study, behavior profiles characteristic of groups of young and adult mothers and their infants were derived empirically through q-factor analysis of the Maternal Behavior Q-sort (Version 3.0) and the Attachment Q-sort (Version 3.0). A three-factor solution best described the behavior profiles characteristic of young mothers. The identified factors were labeled: ‘ignoring/neglecting versus interacting’, ‘accepting versus hostile/rejecting’, and ‘interfering’. The behavior of adult mothers was less variable and was described with only one factor, which corresponded to the ‘accepting versus hostile/rejecting’ factor. The factor solutions for infants of young and adult mothers were similar, with four identified factors, or behavioral profiles, discriminating between groups of infants with similar patterns of behavior: ‘secure with mother’, ‘prefers visitor’, ‘socially withdrawn’ and ‘demanding with mother’. Infants of young and adult mothers differed with regard to their mean values on the first two identified factors. Results provide support for the relevance of rationally derived domains and criterion sorts in populations of both adult and young mothers, and suggest ways of progressing beyond the currently used, rationally derived variables in assessments of maternal and infant behavior in high- and low-risk populations.     

Interventions with depressed mothers and their infants: modifying interactive behaviours

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) has a prevalence ranging from 3% to 30% and is associated with serious infant growth and developmental problems. Interventions directed at improving maternal mood have been unsuccessful in producing changes in observed face-to-face interactions between mother and infant. The Keys to Caregiving (KTC) is an intervention program that helps parents to understand and respond to infant behaviours, with a goal of increasing positive affective expressions in infants. In this pilot study, KTC was used with mothers suffering from mild to moderate PPD and their infants. METHODS: PPD was confirmed by scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. Eleven dyads completed the study. KTC was carried out in 5 weekly group sessions, beginning at infant age of 3 months. Dyads were videotaped prior to and after KTC, using the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm, which assesses infants' responses during normal play and the effects of the Still-Face perturbation. The tapes were scored for infant facial emotion expressions. RESULTS: After intervention, infants displayed a marked increase in Interest and Joy when interacting face-to-face with their mothers, even though mothers' depression ratings did not change. LIMITATIONS: This pilot study is limited by lack of control dyads, however, it provides the foundation necessary for a full trial. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that intervention that focuses on what mothers do with their infants instead of how they feel can be effective in increasing infants' positive responsiveness and improving infant outcomes. Such interventions can be an essential component of treatment when mothers present with postpartum depression.     

Mother-infant visual interaction in Japanese macaques

Pattern of visual interaction in mother-infant dyadic behavior have been reported for human and nonhuman primates, including age and gender differences among rhesus macaques. Such findings are tested with data from two developmental periods (Weeks 1–8 and 21–36) on Japanese macaque mother-infant visual behavior. Rates for look, infanct facial-fixation, and eye contact are greater during the first period than in the second. In Weeks 1–8, infants interact visually with their mother significantly more than with any other kinship class. This pattern continues in the second period, with the exception of eye contact for female infants, and with relatively more attention to nonmatrilineal animals. In Weeks 1–8, all instances of eye contact between mothers and their female, but not male, infants are initiated by the mother. In Weeks 21–36, male, but not female, infants direct significantly more looks to their mother than they receive from her.