ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR OF DAY-CARE CHILDREN - NATURALISTIC AND LABORATORY OBSERVATIONS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 51  (2) , 409-415
Abstract
Relationships between day care and attachment were assessed with alternative procedures: hypothesized normal patterns of attachment were tested naturalistically in day-care centers; and day-care and home-reared children were compared in a laboratory setting. Naturalistic observations were conducted on 20 middle-class day-care children, 17-38 mo. of age. Of the day-care children, 14 were compared with 14 matched home-reared children in a strange-situation procedure. Naturalistic data confirmed hypothesized patterns of attachment behavior. Preference for mother over familiar caregivers was demonstrated both in a comparison constructed to bias results against mother and in a less stringent test. Expected heightening of attachment behaviors following all-day separations and predicted age trends also were found. In the strange situation, there were very few rearing group differences in children''s behavior to mother; the day-care group interacted less with stranger. Complementary findings from naturalistic and laboratory situations indicate that day care is compatible with normal patterns of attachment behavior.

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