PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

This study focuses on the analysis of relationships between infants' attachment and the development of speech and cognition. It is expected that a secure attachment will be associated with more positive developmental outcomes in the areas of speech and cognition. Attachment was assessed by the Strange Situation Test (SST) and the Attachment-Q-Sort (AQS), when the infants were I year old. The assessments of language and cognitive development took place at the age of I and 2 years. Eighty-seven infants and their mothers participated in the longitudinal study. The results show that the SST as well as the AQS parameters are associated with speech, but not with cognitive development. The results are more pronounced if infants consistently classified as securely attached by the SST and the AQS are compared to infants consistently classified as insecurely attached. In this case, there are associations not only with language development, but also with cognitive development, especially with the assessments at the age of 2 years. The study shows the significance of early attachment experiences for later developmental outcomes.