Individual differences in infant attachment patterns

In this chapter, we consider individual differences in infant attachment patterns. We begin with Mary Ainsworth’s discoveries regarding caregiver sensitivity and infant attachment security. The section that follows addresses the Strange Situation Procedure, a laboratory-based observational method used to assess individual differences in infant attachment patterns. Finally, we consider the idea that secure attachment expresses a developmentally primary strategy, and insecure attachment expresses developmentally secondary or ‘conditional’ strategies.