Affective and Behavioral Features of Jealousy Protest: Associations with Child Temperament, Maternal Interaction Style, and Attachment. (5th April 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hart, Sybil L.; Behrens, Kazuko Y.
• Is Part Of: Infancy. Volume 18:Number 3(2013:May/Jun.)
• Page Start: 369
• Page End: 399
• Publication Date: 2012-04-05
• Subjects: Infant psychology -- Periodicals; Infants -- Development -- Periodicals; Infants -- Periodicals; 155.42205
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7078.2012.00123.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1525-0008

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>This study explored variation in affective and behavioral components of infants' jealousy protests during an eliciting condition in which mother and an experimenter directed differential attention exclusively toward a rival. Variation was examined in relation to child temperamental emotionality, maternal interaction style, and attachment security. At 45 weeks, intensity of infants'<italic>distress</italic> and durations of mother‐ and stranger‐directed behavioral responses, including <italic>gaze, touch</italic>, and <italic>proximity‐seeking, </italic> were observed in the eliciting condition. We also assessed infants'<italic>positive emotionality</italic> (<italic>PE</italic>) and <italic>negative emotionality</italic> (<italic>NE</italic>) and maternal interaction styles of <italic>sensitivity</italic> and <italic>engagement</italic>. At 54 weeks, attachment security was measured in the Strange Situation Procedure. Findings revealed that <italic>distress</italic> differed with temperamental emotionality and maternal interaction style. Specifically, <italic>distress</italic> was greater in infants with lower <italic>PE</italic> and having mothers who displayed less <italic>sensitivity</italic> and <italic>engagement.</italic> Analyses on behavioral responses toward the experimenter revealed linkages with maternal interaction style. Specifically, experimenter‐directed <italic>gaze</italic> and <italic>touch</italic> were greater among infants of mothers who demonstrated less <italic>sensitivity</italic> and <italic>engagement</italic>. Behavioral responses toward mother were found associated with quality of attachment. Specifically, mother‐directed <italic>proximity</italic> and <italic>touch</italic> were highest among infants later judged insecure resistant and lowest among those later judged insecure/avoidant; with infants later judged secure displaying moderate durations of mother‐directed proximal contact.</p> </abstract>