Applied multidimensional scaling to similarity data to produce a model of Attachment Q-Set (AQS) items as points in a 3-dimensional space. Represented criterion sorts, individual Q-sorts, and empirical correlates as vectors, interpreting each according to the vector's contributions from the three global dimensions. Tested the model's validity and…

Used standardized mood-induction procedures to examine the relation between attachment security and representational-defensive processes. Subjects were 32 preschoolers ranked most secure and least secure using Attachment Q-Set. Found secure subjects were no more responsive to positive mood inductions, and no less responsive to negative ones, than…

Notes how preceding articles expand the repertoire of theory-relevant assessments of attachment, with a special emphasis on Ainsworth's concept of the secure base. Focuses on a number of issues raised by this collection that are particularly promising for theory development, including assessment of secure-base behavior and maternal sensitivity,…

Focuses on three issues raised by findings presented in preceding articles: (1) How do we continue the study and conceptualization of secure-base behavior? (2) How do we take into account the multiple-relationship context of attachment? and (3) How do we expand our conceptualization of attachment to include variations in individual adaptations and…

This study was an initial exploration of the relationship between coordinated interpersonal timing and quality of mother-toddler attachment. Eleven primiparous white, middle class mothers and their children (8 males, 3 females) participated. Mothers averaged 32 years of age and toddlers averaged 18.10 months. A prerecorded dyadic free-play session…

Compared 34 infants of very low birth weight (VLBW) and 40 full-term infants, using Ainsworth's Strange Situation procedure and Waters' Attachment Q-Set. Found that, at 14 months, VLBW infants were more likely than full-term infants to be insecurely attached when rated using the Q-Set but not when using the Strange Situation. (MDM)

Used Adult Attachment Interview to examine relationship between mothers' level of security and children's attachment behavior. Found that except for children of preoccupied mothers, children of mothers classified as secure scored higher on the (Attachment Q-Set) AQS-derived security dimension than children whose mothers were classified as insecure…

Presents Attachment Q-Set (AQS), consisting of 90 individual statements descriptive of the behavior of infants and young children observed during periods of interaction with primary caregivers. Items selected are intended to provide a comprehensive characterization of the secure-base behavior of the child as observed over a period of two to six…

Presents Attachment Q-Set adapted for study of monkeys as described by Kondo-Ikemura and Waters in this issue. (HTH)

Presents scoring key for the original Attachment Q-Set and that adapted for study of secure-base behavior of monkeys, as described by Kondo-Ikemura and Waters in this same issue. (HTH)

Investigated attachment security and behavior in 34 physically disabled infants and 26 non-disabled infants using convergent, categorical, and continuous (Attachment Behavior Q-Set) measures of relationship, based on the same set of home observations. Proportions of attachment classifications were identical for each group, but insecure disabled…

A total of 101 mothers from Montreal and Chicago used the Attachment Q-Sort to describe their two- or three-year-old children. Analyses indicated some group differences on derived item scales and criterion scores. Analyses accounting for maternal variables indicated that only the criterion score for attachment security differed across the groups.…

Examined Attachment Q-Set security scores as indexes of attachment security. Found that Q-Set scores (1) related positively to sensitive mothering and preschoolers' sociability toward mother during laboratory observations; (2) related negatively to children's negative affectivity during free play; and (3) were associated with levels of parenting…

Assessed maternal sensitivity and infants' attachment behavior to test validity of a system of classifying attachment relationships at home. Subjects were 47 mothers of preterm and 42 mothers of full-term infants. Results reaffirm Ainsworth's conceptualization of distinct attachment relationships. (HTH)

Describes the core constructs of attachment theory, namely, the attachment system and secure-base behavior. Discusses contextual factors thought to be crucial in development of individual differences in attachment, especially maternal sensitivity, and considers child characteristics, especially temperament, that may contribute to the attachment…