CHAPTER 6

LECTURE EXTENSION

Attachment Security and Later Relationships

A longitudinal study by Howes, Hamilton, and Philipsen (1998) examined the stability and continuity of the quality of children's relationships with their mothers, teachers, and friends between infancy and 9 years of age.

STABILITY OF MATERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
Children secure with their mothers in both the Strange Situation at 12 months and an assessment of mother-child reunion at 4 years had more positive perceptions at age 9 of their maternal relationship than did children insecure with their mothers in both the toddler and preschool years. Attachment classification was stable for 76 percent of the mother-child pairs. Although several other studies have demonstrated attachment stability, this is one of the first studies to find empirical support for stability of attachment classification across three time periods. Importantly, two assessments of attachment security (at 12 months and 4 years) were necessary to predict mother-child relationship status at 9 years. By including two measurements of attachment status, the authors were able to account for changes in specific relationship quality in the almost one-quarter of children who changed attachment classification. The authors argue that this suggests that the 9-year-old assessment captured the current status of the specific mother-child relationship rather than a generalized cognitive representation of attachment (i.e., a working model of the self in relation to mother) formed during toddlerhood.

CONTINUITY OF TEACHER AND FRIENDSHIP RELATIONSHIPS
Children who were more secure with their caregivers within 6 months of first entering child care were more positive about their teacher as 9-year-olds. Children with higher teacher ratings of close friendships at age 4 were more positive about their friendships at age 9. Unlike mothers, teachers and friends changed in person across the study period. To explain the continuity of teacher relationships, the authors speculate that the children constructed a mental representation of teacher as either positive or negative and used this representation to guide their behavior toward each new teacher. The findings regarding friendship indicated more continuity than expected. Interactions between friends have a unique, positive quality at all ages, including the preschool years. The results of the present study suggest that early friendships may include experiences that foster the development of positive friendships as older children.

Howes, C., Hamilton, C. E., & Philipsen, L. C. (1998). Stability and continuity of child-caregiver and child-peer relationships. Child Development, 69, 418-426.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Researching Laws Regulating Child Care

As discussed in the text, the quality of care, both at home and in the child care setting, is important for fostering the emotional security of young children. The quality of American child care is cause for deep concern. Standards are set by the states, and they vary greatly across the nation. In some places, caregivers need no special training in child development, and one adult is permitted to care for as many as 6 to 12 infants at once. Have students research information about licensure or standards of child care in your state (or assign each student a state-most have information about their child care standards on the Internet). Also, have students research information about recently passed legislation regarding child care; for example, licensure information regarding (a) child care staff (e.g., minimum age for administrator, training in child development requirement, Early Childhood Credential requirement); (b) child-to-caregiver ratios and maximum group size (and whether these vary by age of the child); (c) space and equipment (e.g., required square feet indoors and outdoors); (d) curriculum requirements; (e) health and safety requirements (e.g., immunizations, nutrition); (f) transportation; (g) child records; (h) discipline (e.g., written policy); (i) rating system; and (j) parental rights. With information regarding licensure in hand, discuss with students the implications of state laws for fostering young children's attachment security.