1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« [C]ompare collaborative styles of securely and insecurely attached preschoolers during an unfamiliar task with mother and then examine how the same children solve the same task with another mother who is unfamiliar to them. » (p. 3)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« [W]e hypothesized that securely attached preschoolers would show greater task engagement and metacognitive participation in problem solving regulation with both partners. » (p. 4)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« Subjects for this study were 19 securely attached and 18 insecurely attached 3–4 year-olds. The 18 insecure children […] were matched with an equal number of secure children according to sex (girls = 9), age (mean = 43 months), maternal scolarity (mean = 14 years), maternal age (mean = 30 years) and family revenue (mean = $33,000). » (p. 4)

Instruments :
The Waters & Deane Q-Sort (1985) was used in this study.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« This study examined how attachment quality affects preschoolers’ collaborative problem-solving interactions. We compared collaborative styles of 19 securely and 18 insecurely-attached three and four year olds during a grocery planning task with mother and then a strange female adult who was also the mother of a preschool child. Results indicated that securely-attached preschoolers were more likely to show task-relevant and metacognitive behavior in both contexts and performed better with the stranger than did their insecure peers. The collaborative style of mothers of secure children was more in synchrony with secure children’s level of participation in the task than with that of insecure children who were less focused on goal-directed task activities. Strangers were generally less structuring than mothers particularly with insecure children. Interestingly, the security status of the stranger’s own child did not influence her collaborative style with an unfamiliar preschooler. Results are discussed with reference to concepts from both attachment and Vygotskian theories. » (p. 2)