ABSTRACT

The present two-study investigation is the first to examine whether experimentally boosting attachment security (security priming) affects attitudes in the parenting domain for both parents and non-parents. Mothers (n = 72) and childless undergraduates (n = 82) were randomly assigned to a neutral or a secure prime condition and then completed measures of implicit attitudes (a child-focused version of the Go/No-Go Association Task) and explicit attitudes (self-reported) toward children. Following the priming manipulation, mothers in the secure prime condition had more positive implicit attitudes toward their child compared to mothers in the neutral prime condition. Security priming also increased mothers’ positive explicit attitudes toward their children, but only among mothers who scored high on self-reported attachment-related avoidance. No priming effects emerged among non-parents. These results provide the first evidence for a causal link between parental attachment security and parental attitudes toward children.

摘要

目前的两项研究调查首次检验了通过实验提高依恋安全性（安全启动）是否会影响父母和非父母双方在育儿领域的态度。母亲（n = 72）和没有孩子的本科生（n = 82）被随机分配到中性或安全的主要条件，然后完成内隐态度（Go/No-Go Association Task 的以儿童为中心的版本）和外显态度的测量对儿童的态度（自我报告）。在启动操作之后，与中性初始条件下的母亲相比，安全初始条件下的母亲对孩子有更积极的内隐态度。安全启动也增加了母亲对孩子的积极外显态度，但仅限于自我报告的依恋相关回避得分高的母亲。非父母之间没有出现启动效应。这些结果首次证明了父母依恋安全感与父母对孩子的态度之间存在因果关系。