Secure base scripted knowledge and preschoolers' social competence in samples from Mexico and Peru. Issue 3 (4th May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nóblega, Magaly; Bárrig-Jo, Patricia; Gonzalez, Lucía; Fourment, Katherine; Salinas-Quiroz, Fernando; Vizuet, Angélica; Posada, German
• Is Part Of: Attachment & human development. Volume 21:Issue 3(2019)
• Page Start: 253
• Page End: 264
• Publication Date: 2019-05-04
• Subjects: attachment -- secure base script -- social competence -- preschool -- attachment narratives; Attachment behavior -- Periodicals; Developmental psychology -- Periodicals; 155.418
• DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2019.1575548
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1461-6734

Abstract

ABSTRACT: A central hypothesis in attachment theory poses that child-mother relationships have implications for children's social competence. A key task for researchers is that of investigating the pathways responsible for the association found between child attachment security and social competence. We studied whether children's secure base representations, defined as scripts, are associated with assessments of social competence in a preschool setting. We tested this association in samples from Mexico and Peru. Preschoolers' attachment representations were assessed via narratives gathered with the Attachment Story Completion Task. Teachers (in Mexico) and mothers (in Peru) provided questionnaire information about social competence. Attachment scripts predicted children's social competence in both samples. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for theory and research.