MATERNAL REPRESENTATIONS AND INFANT ATTACHMENT: AN EXAMINATION OF THE PROTOTYPE HYPOTHESIS

Infant Mental Health Journal
Sheri MadiganDiane Benoit

Abstract

The prototype hypothesis suggests that attachment representations derived in infancy continue to influence subsequent relationships over the life span, including those formed with one's own children. In the current study, we test the prototype hypothesis by exploring (a) whether child-specific representations following actual experience in interaction with a specific child impacts caregiver-child attachment over and above the prenatal forecast of that representation and (b) whether maternal attachment representations exert their influence on infant attachment via the more child-specific representation of that relationship. In a longitudinal study of 84 mother-infant dyads, mothers' representations of their attachment history were obtained prenatally with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; M. Main, R. Goldwyn, & E. Hesse, 2002), representations of relationship with a specific child were assessed with the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI; C.H. Zeanah, D. Benoit, & L. Barton, 1986), collected both prenatally and again at infant age 11 months, and infant attachment was assessed in the Strange Situation Procedure (M.D.S. Ainsworth, M.C. Blehar, E. Walters, & S. Wall, 1978) when infants were 11 months of age. Consistent w...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1985·Journal of Oral Pathology·D M Main
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Mar 1, 1997·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·D BenoitC H Zeanah
Mar 17, 2004·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Nickola C OverallMyron D Friesen
Apr 2, 2004·Child Development·Alissa C Huth-BocksAlexander von Eye
Oct 8, 2005·Attachment & Human Development·Sally A TheranAlissa C Huth-Bocks
Oct 8, 2005·Attachment & Human Development·Arietta SladeAlison Locker
May 21, 2009·Attachment & Human Development·Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marinus H van IJzendoorn
May 9, 2012·Development and Psychopathology·Katherine C HaydonKeith B Burt
Oct 31, 2012·Attachment & Human Development·George M TarabulsyCatherine Noël
May 1, 2012·Infant Mental Health Journal·Charlotte M J M VreeswijkHedwig J A van Bakel

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Citations

Mar 29, 2019·Attachment & Human Development·Hedwig J A van Bakel, Ruby A S Hall
Dec 22, 2020·Frontiers in Public Health·Renata TambelliFrancesco Dentale
Jun 15, 2021·Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review·Jennifer E McIntoshDelyse Hutchinson

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