The Effect of Attachment Priming on State Attachment Security in Middle Childhood: The Moderating Roles of Trait Attachment and State Attachment Volatility

Abstract

Recent studies showed that attachment security can change within persons, suggesting that there might be an interplay between a rather stable (trait) and rather variable (state) part of attachment. The study’s first aim was to investigate whether attachment priming could influence the level of state attachment. The second aim was to explore possible moderators explaining individual differences in the relation between state attachment responses to attachment versus neutral primes. This can shed light on individual differences in attachment prime-induced state attachment. We conducted a within-subjects priming study in which children (9–13 years) were allocated to three priming procedures (neutral, secure, avoidant). Results showed an increase in secure state attachment after secure attachment priming. Individual differences in the strength of this effect were moderated by trait attachment and state attachment volatility. First findings cautiously suggest that state attachment security can change in response to environmental cues under certain circumstances.

Keywords

attachment family relations/processes developmental processes parent-adolescent relationships

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alloway

T. P.

Ramscar

Corley

(2020). Verbal and embodied priming in schema mapping tasks. In Proceedings of the twenty first annual conference of the cognitive science society (pp. 13–18). Psychology Press.

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

van IJzendoorn

M. H.

(2007). Genetic vulnerability or differential susceptibility in child development: The case of attachment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(12), 1160–1173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01801.x

Baldwin

M. W.

Keelan

J. P. R.

Fehr

Enns

Koh-Rangarajoo

(1996). Social-cognitive conceptualization of attachment working models: Availability and accessibility effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(1), 94–109. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.71.1.94

Bermeitinger

Wentura

Frings

(2011). How to switch on and switch off semantic priming effects for natural and artifactual categories: Activation processes in category memory depend on focusing specific feature dimensions. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 18(3), 579–585. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-011-0067-z

Bernaerts

Prinsen

Berra

Bosmans

Steyaert

Alaerts

(2017). Long-term oxytocin administration enhances the experience of attachment. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 78, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.010

Bohn

Holtmann

Ulitzsch

Koch

Luhmann

Eid

(2021). Analyzing stability and change in dyadic attachment: The multi-rater latent state-trait model with autoregressive effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(604526), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.604526

Bosmans

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

Vervliet

Verhees

van IJzendoorn

M. H.

(2020). A learning theory of attachment: Unraveling the black box of attachment development. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 113, 287–298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.014

Bosmans

Bowles

D. P.

Dewitte

De Winter

Braet

(2014a). An experimental evaluation of the state adult attachment measure: The influence of attachment primes on the content of state attachment representations. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5127/jep.033612

Bosmans

Kerns

K. A.

(2015). Attachment in middle childhood: Progress and prospects. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2015(148), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20100

10.

Bosmans

Van de Walle

Goossens

Ceulemans

(2014b). (In)variability of attachment in middle childhood: Secure base script evidence in diary data. Behaviour Change, 31(4), 225–242. https://doi.org/10.1017/bec.2014.18

11.

Bosmans

Van Vlierberghe

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

Kobak

Hermans

Van Ijzendoorn

M. H.

(2022). A learning theory approach to attachment theory: Exploring clinical applications. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-021-00377-x

12.

Bosmans

Waters

Finet

De Winter

Hermans

(2019). Trust development as an expectancy-learning process: Testing contingency effects. PloS one, 14(12), e0225934. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225934

13.

Bouton

M. E.

(2000). A learning theory perspective on lapse, relapse, and the maintenance of behavior change. Health Psychology, 19(1), 57–63. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.19.Suppl1.57

14.

Bowlby

(1969). Attachment. Penguin Book.

15.

Braet

Van Vlierberghe

Vandevivere

, (2012). Depression in early, middle and late adolescence: differential evidence for the cognitive diathesis-stress model. Clin Psychol Psychother. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1789

16.

Brumariu

L. E.

Kerns

K. A.

(2008). Mother–child attachment and social anxiety symptoms in middle childhood. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(5), 393–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.06.002

17.

Canterberry

Gillath

(2013). Neural evidence for a multifaceted model of attachment security. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 88(3), 232–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.08.013

18.

Carnelley

K. B.

Otway

L. J.

Rowe

A. C.

(2016). The effects of attachment priming on depressed and anxious mood. Clinical Psychological Science, 4(3), 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702615594998

19.

Carnelley

K. B.

Rowe

A. C.

(2007). Repeated priming of attachment security influences later views of self and relationships. Personal Relationships, 14(2), 307–320. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2007.00156.x

20.

Caviezel

M. P.

Reichert

C. F.

Sadeghi Bahmani

Linnemann

Liechti

Bieri

Borgwardt

Leyhe

Melcher

(2020). The neural mechanisms of associative memory revisited: fMRI evidence from implicit contingency learning. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.01002

21.

Ceulemans

Wilderjans

T. F.

Kiers

H. A. L.

Timmerman

M. E.

(2016). MultiLevel simultaneous component analysis: A computational shortcut and software package. Behavioral Research, 48(3), 1008–1020. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0626-8

22.

Chenglong

Tingting

Jinliang

(2020). The duality of attachment pattern: Trait attachment and state attachment. Advances in Psychological Science, 28(4), 626–637. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2020.00626

23.

Clear

S. J.

Zimmer-Gembeck

M. J.

(2017). Associations between attachment and emotion-specific emotion regulation with and without relationship insecurity priming. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(1), 64–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025415620057

24.

Costigan

C. L.

Cox

M. J.

(2001). Fathers’ participation in family research: Is there a self-selection bias? Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 706–720. https://doi.org/10.1037//0893-3200.15.4.706

25.

Crowell

J. A.

(2003). Assessment of attachment security in a clinical setting: Observations of parents and children. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 24(3), 199–204. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004703-200306000-00012

26.

Diamond

G. S.

Siqueland

Diamond

G. M.

(2003). Attachment-based family therapy: Programmic treatment development. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(2), 107–127. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023782510786

27.

Dujardin

Bosmans

Braet

Goossens

(2014). Attachment-related expectations and mother-referent memory bias in middle childhood. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 55(4), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12129

28.

Dykas

M. J.

Cassidy

(2011). Attachment and the processing of social information across the life span: Theory and evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 137(1), 19–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021367

29.

Dykas

M. J.

Woodhouse

S. S.

Jones

J. D.

Cassidy

(2014). Attachment-related biases in adolescents’ memory. Child Development, 85(6), 2185–2201. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12268

30.

Ein-Dor

Hirschberger

(2016). Rethinking attachment theory: From a theory of relationships to a theory of individual and group survival. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 25(5), 223–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721416650684

31.

Fraley

C. R.

(2002). Attachment stability from infancy to adulthood: Meta-analysis and dynamic modeling of developmental mechanisms. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6(2), 123–151. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0602_03

32.

Gillath

Hart

Noftle

E. E.

Stockdale

G. D.

(2009). Development and validation of a state adult attachment measure (SAAM). Journal of Research in Personality, 43(3), 362–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2008.12.009

33.

Gillath

Selcuk

Shaver

(2008). Moving toward a secure attachment style: Can repeated security priming help? Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2(4), 1651–1666. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00120.x

34.

Green

J. D.

Campbell

2000. Attachment and exploration in adults: Chronic and contextual accessibility. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(4), 452–461. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167200266004

35.

Groh

A. M.

Fearon

P. R.

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

Van IJzendoorn

M. H.

Steele

R. D.

Roisman

G. I.

(2014). The significance of attachment security for children’s social competence with peers: a meta-analytic study. Attachment & Human Development, 16(2), 103–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.883636

36.

Hudson

N. W.

Fraley

C. R.

(2018). Moving toward greater security: The effects of repeatedly priming attachment security and anxiety. Journal of Research in Personality, 74, 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2018.04.002

37.

Janiszewski

C. A.

Wyer

R. S.

(2014). Content and process priming: A review. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(1), 96–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2013.05.006

38.

Juffer

Struis

Werner

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

(2017). Effective preventive interventions to support parents of young children: Illustrations from the video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting and sensitive discipline (VIPP-SD). Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 45(3), 202–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/10852352.2016.1198128

39.

Lakoff

Johnson

(1999). Philosophy in the flesh: The embodied mind and its challenge to western thought. Basic Books.

40.

Langens

T. A.

Schüler

(2005). Written emotional expression and emotional well-being: The moderating role of fear of rejection. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(6), 818–830. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167204271556

41.

Mikulincer

Hirschberger

Nachmias

Gillath

(2001). The affective component of the secure base schema: Affective priming with representations of attachment security. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(2), 305–321. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.81.2.305

42.

Mikulincer

Shaver

P. R.

(2007). Boosting attachment security to promote mental health, prosocial values, and inter-group tolerance. Psychological Inquiry, 18(3), 139–156, https://doi.org/10.1080/10478400701512646

43.

Mikulincer

Shaver

P. R.

Rom

(2011). The effects of implicit and explicit security priming on creative problem solving. Cognition & Emotion, 25(3), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2010.540110

44.

Moreira

Fonseca

Canavarro

M. C.

(2017). Assessing attachment to parents and peers in middle childhood: Psychometric studies of the Portuguese version of the people in my life questionnaire. Journal of Child and Familiy Studies, 26(5), 1318–1333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0654-3

45.

Ridenour

T. A.

Greenberg

M. T.

Cook

E. T.

(2006). Structure and validity of People in my life: A self-report measure of attachment in late childhood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(6), 1037–1053. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9070-5

46.

Rowe

A. C. M.

Gold

E. R.

Carnelley

K. B.

(2020). The effectiveness of attachment security priming in improving positive affect and reducing negative affect: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 968. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030968

47.

Schacter

Dobbins

Schnyer

(2004). Specificity of priming: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(11), 853–862. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1534

48.

Schreiber

A. M.

Pilkonis

P. A.

Hallquist

M. N.

(2021). Dispositional attachment style moderates the effects of physiological coregulation on short-term changes in attachment anxiety and avoidance. Personality Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000472

49.

Seibert

A. C.

Kerns

K. A.

(2009). Attachment figures in middle childhood. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33(4), 347–355. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025409103872

50.

Sharma

(2017). Pros and cons of different sampling techniques. International Journal of Applied Research, 3(7), 749–752.

51.

Shaver

P. R.

Mikulincer

Gross

J. T.

Stern

J. A.

Cassidy

J. A.

(2016). A lifespan perspective on attachment and care for others: Empathy, altruism, and prosocial behavior. In Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (3rd ed., pp. 878–916). New York: Guilford Press.

52.

Sroufe

L. A.

Carlson

Shulman

(1993). Individuals in relationships: Development from infancy through adolescence. In Funder

D. C.

Parke

R. D.

Tomlinson-Keasey

Widaman

(Eds.), Studying lives through time: Personality and development (pp. 315–342). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10127-030

53.

Steele

(2015). Commentary—Attachment in Middle Childhood: Looking Back, Forward, and Within. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, (148), 99–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20094

54.

Stupica

Brett

B. E.

Woodhouse

S. S.

Cassidy

(2019). Attachment security priming decreases children’s physiological response to threat. Child Development, 90(4), 1254–1271. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13009

55.

Timmerman

M. E.

(2006). Multilevel component analysis. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 59(2), 301–320. https://doi.org/10.1348/000711005x67599

56.

Vandevivere

Bosmans

Roels

Dujardin

Braet

(2018). State trust in middle childhood: An experimental manipulation of maternal support. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(4), 1252–1263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0954-7

57.

Verhees

M. W. F. T.

Ceulemans

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

Bosmans

(2021). State attachment variability: Between- and within-person level associations with trait attachment and psychological problems. Brain Sciences, 11(1264), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101264

58.

Verhees

M. W. F. T.

Ceulemans

Van IJzendoorn

M. H.

Bakermans-Kranenburg

M. J.

Bosmans

(2019). State attachment variability across distressing situations in middle childhood. Social Development, 29(1), 196–216. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12394

59.

Vervliet

Craske

M. G.

Hermans

(2013). Fear extinction and relapse: State of the art. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9(1), 215–248. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185542

60.

Waters

T. E. A.

Bosmans

Vandevivere

Dujardin

Waters

H. S.

(2015). Secure base representations in middle childhood across two Western cultures: Associations with parental attachment representations and maternal reports of behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 51(8), 1013–1025. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039375

61.

Waters

T. E. A.

Facompré

C. R.

Van de Walle

Dujardin

De Winter

Heylen

Santens

Verhees

Finet

Bosmans

(2019). Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence: A 3-year longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 55(11), 2379–2388. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000798

62.

Waters

H. S.

Waters

(2006). The attachment working models concept: Among other things, we build script-like representations of secure base experiences. Attachment & Human Development, 8(3), 185–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730600856016

63.

Waters

T. E. A.

Yang

Finet

Verhees

M. W. F. T.

Bosmans

(2021). An empirical test of prototype and revisionist models of attachment stability and change from middle childhood to adolescence: A 6-year longitudinal study. Child Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13672

64.

Zimmermann

Iwanski

(2015). Attachment in middle childhood: Associations with information processing. In Bosmans

Kerns

K. A.

(Eds.), Attachment in middle child-hood: Theoretical advances and new directions in an emerging field: New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development (Vol. 148, pp. 47–61). Wiley.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.42 MB