Using Global Maternal Sensitivity Score to Predict Infant Attachment

Mary Ainsworth developed a scoring system to determine a mother’s level of sensitivity toward her infant (AMSS). The maternal sensitivity construct includes the caregiver identifying a signal has occurred, interpreting it correctly, and responding promptly and appropriately. Ainsworth and Bowlby defined attachment as an affectional bond that one individual forms with another and that endures across time and space. It has been found that high maternal sensitivity is a precursor to secure attachment classification. Children with secure attachment often have better developmental outcomes and lower rates psychopathology than children with insecure attachment. The AMSS rates the mother’s sensitivity toward her infant whereas the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) is a laboratory procedure used to determine infant attachment classification. In past studies, researchers observed one interaction and coded the mother’s behavior pattern using AMSS. Earlier research with this data set revealed that the maternal sensitivity scores at 4 weeks does not predict infant attachment at 16 months, but maternal sensitivity scores at 16 months does predict infant attachment. The current study hypothesizes that observing more than one mother-infant interaction will better predict attachment classifications. Observing a dyad in multiple settings and multiple infant ages, should offer a more complete picture of the mother’s maternal sensitivity pattern, resulting in a better prediction of infant attachment. Archival data of sixty-eight dyads were used for this study. Each dyad was videotaped at the infant’s age of 4 weeks during interaction in the home. At the infant’s age of 16 months, the dyad participated in SSP in the laboratory. For the current project, maternal sensitivity will be coded using the AMSS and given a global score from based on the combined observations of each dyad. Analyses are expected to reveal that the global score from 2 interactions better predicts attachment, compared to a single interaction