Attachment Security and Temperament in Infancy and Early Childhood: Some Conceptual Clarifications

Relations between attachment security and temperament were studied in 6 samples. Ages at temperament assessments ranged from 5 to 42 months and attachment security was assessed between 12 and 45 months. Attachment security was assessed using the Waters and Deane Attachment Behavior Q-set. Principal component analyses were used with the temperament data, and scores for the first component (Emotional Reactivity) served as correlates of attachment security. Analyses revealed significant associations between temperament and attachment at all ages when mothers completed both instruments, and when Q-sorts were independent from maternal temperament perceptions, temperament and attachment security correlations reached significance for older children. These results may help clarify relations between the domains of attachment and temperament, rather than affirm distinctions between them.