1. An investigation into the relationship between parent-child interaction with electronic media and attachment style
By Heather Forsyth
BSc Psychology Glasgow Caledonian University
Introduction
Attachment theory is shaped by Bowlby (1969, 1973) and observations led
him to explain that very important determinants of attachment, which
underpin a child’s internal working model, are care and responsiveness
from the mother, who acts as a secure base for exploring the world.
Ainsworth followed in Bowlby’s footsteps and expressed the importance of
maternal sensitivity, which led her and Wittig (1969 in Gross, 2010) to
design the Strange Situation. Attachment theory has dominated research
into parent-child interaction, particularly the quality of the interaction.
Furthermore, the link has been established between electronic media and
quality of parent-child interaction when Woolridge and Shapka (2012) used
25 mother-toddler dyads to investigate play with electronic toys. They
found that the play experiences of toddlers were compromised by the
lower quality of parent–child interaction during joint play.
Using attachment theory as the theoretical basis, previous research on the
importance of attachment style, quality of parent-child interactions and the
growing changes in the way children and caregivers use and interact with
various forms of electronic media, the main aim of this study is to
investigate if there is a relationship between attachment style and
frequency of electronic media use. It was hypothesised that high frequency
use of electronic media would correlate with an insecure attachment style.
Methods
Participants completed a two-part self-report questionnaire which
produced the two variables to be investigated, attachment style (secure or
insecure) and frequency of electronic media use (high or low).
The first questionnaire is a 12 item attachment measure, adapted and used
previously by Robinson, Rankin and Drotar (1996), derived from Waters
and Deane’s (1985) original Q-sort methodology, which gives a
classification of attachment style (either secure or insecure). The second
part of the questionnaire consists of questions based around the
frequency of interaction with different forms of electronic media.
The study concluded with 92 caregiver-child dyads (7 male caregivers and
85 female caregivers) whose age ranged from 19 – 51 years (mean age: 31).
The children the caregivers referred to were aged between 5 months to 5
years old (mean age: 31 months), with 47 males and 45 females.
Summary & Conclusion
Overall the study did not find any relationship between attachment style and
frequency of electronic media use. It also could not find a significant gender
difference in attachment style or electronic media use.
The study has a number of limitations but it is upheld and supported by a
strong rational, in particular attachment theory. Limitations included the
small sample size, although it was diverse in the children's age ranges and
had a good proportion of males and females. Potential confounding variables
not taken into account include cultural differences and temperament of
child.
There is limited knowledge on the effect of electronic media on development
in general, but its relationship within parent-child interaction is very
interesting. Electronic media use has evolved so dramatically in recent years
that the effect may not be visible yet. This study may not have significant
findings to report but it highlights the need for further study in this area
especially when the parent-child relationship is so important in relation to
development of a psychologically healthy individual.
Results
The main aim of the study was to determine if
frequency of using electronic media (either high
or low) and attachment style (secure or insecure)
were related. A correlation analysis was
conducted (Pearson's), and the result were not
significant showing there is no association
between the two variables: r = -0.159, n = 92,
p>0.001.
References
Ainsworth, M. D. S. & Wittig, B.A. (1969) Attachment and exploratory behaviour of 1-year
olds in a strange situation. In Gross, R. (2010) Psychology: The science of mind and
behaviour. Hodder Education, London
Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment and loss. Volume 1: Attachment. In Gross, R. (2010)
Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. Hodder Education, London
Bowlby, J. (1973) Attachment and Loss. Volume 2: Separation. In Gross, R. (2010)
Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. Hodder Education, London
Robinson, J.R., Rankin, J.L. & Drotar, D. (1996) Quality of attachment as a predictor of
maternal visitation to young hospitalised children. Journal of Paediatric Psychology. 21 (3),
401-417.
Waters, E., & Deane, K. (1985). Defining and assessing individual differences in attachment
relationships: Q-methodology and the organization of behaviour in infancy and early
childhood. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 50 (1/2), 41-65.
Wooldridge, M.B. and Shapka, J. (2012) Playing with technology: Mother-toddler
interaction scores lower during play with electronic toys. Journal of Applied
Developmental Psychology. 33 (5), 211 – 218.
Other Findings
The chart below shows the majority of children
were reported to be securely attached, but there
was no significant gender differences found in
attachment style, t = 0.738, df = 90, p>.001, 2-
tailed. There were also no significant differences
between gender and frequency of technology
use, t = 0.815, df = 90, p>.001, 2-tailed.
55%45%
Overall Attachment Style
% Securely Attached
% Insecurely Attched