Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
The relationship between object-person permanence and
quality of attachment was assessed in 13 month old infants
under equivalent task conditions. Both familiar/salient
and unfamiliar/neutral objects and persons were hidden behind
large curtains. Contrary to previous findings securely
attached infants did not perform differently than insecurely
attached babies on the object and person permanence
scales. Regardless of security of attachment, babies
searched at a higher level for both the familiar/salient
person and object than for the unfamiliar/neutral person
and object. Infants were most likely to search for the
mother and least likely to search for the experimenter.
Results suggest that the motivational salience of target
persons and objects plays an important role in performance
on object and person permanence tests and thus indicate a
need for more precision in measurement in order to
delineate any existing relationship between the cognitive
and affective domains in infancy.
quality of attachment was assessed in 13 month old infants
under equivalent task conditions. Both familiar/salient
and unfamiliar/neutral objects and persons were hidden behind
large curtains. Contrary to previous findings securely
attached infants did not perform differently than insecurely
attached babies on the object and person permanence
scales. Regardless of security of attachment, babies
searched at a higher level for both the familiar/salient
person and object than for the unfamiliar/neutral person
and object. Infants were most likely to search for the
mother and least likely to search for the experimenter.
Results suggest that the motivational salience of target
persons and objects plays an important role in performance
on object and person permanence tests and thus indicate a
need for more precision in measurement in order to
delineate any existing relationship between the cognitive
and affective domains in infancy.
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