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Attachment theory 20

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Asking for Preferences
Here are 10 graduate-level MCQs on Attachment Theory, with answers and explanations:

Attachment Theory - 10 Graduate-Level MCQs

1. Bowlby's attachment theory drew heavily from which two fields outside of psychoanalysis?
  • A) Behaviorism and cognitive psychology
  • B) Ethology and control systems theory
  • C) Gestalt psychology and phenomenology
  • D) Social learning theory and neuroscience
Answer
B) Ethology and control systems theory
Bowlby was influenced by Konrad Lorenz's work on imprinting (ethology) and cybernetic/control systems thinking, which informed his concept of the attachment behavioral system as a goal-corrected system.
2. In Ainsworth's Strange Situation, an infant who explores freely in the mother's presence, shows distress upon separation, and is readily comforted upon reunion is classified as:
  • A) Anxious-ambivalent
  • B) Disorganized
  • C) Securely attached
  • D) Avoidant
Answer
C) Securely attached
Secure infants use the caregiver as a safe base for exploration and are effectively comforted on reunion. This pattern (Type B) reflects sensitive, consistent caregiving.
3. A child shows minimal distress at separation and actively ignores the caregiver upon reunion. According to Ainsworth's classification, this infant is best described as:
  • A) Securely attached
  • B) Anxious-ambivalent (resistant)
  • C) Disorganized/disoriented
  • D) Insecure-avoidant
Answer
D) Insecure-avoidant
Avoidant infants (Type A) suppress attachment behavior, show little overt distress, and avoid contact on reunion. Research using cortisol measures shows these infants are physiologically stressed despite appearing calm.
4. Main and Hesse (1990) proposed that the disorganized attachment pattern in infants arises primarily because the caregiver:
  • A) Is consistently unresponsive to the infant's signals
  • B) Alternates between warmth and hostility without pattern
  • C) Represents both a source of fear and a haven of safety
  • D) Has an insecure-avoidant attachment style herself
Answer
C) Represents both a source of fear and a haven of safety
The "fear without solution" hypothesis holds that when the attachment figure is frightening (or frightened), the infant faces an irresolvable paradox - the person who should reduce fear is also the source of fear - leading to disorganized/disoriented behavior (Type D).
5. Which instrument is considered the gold standard for assessing adult attachment representations in clinical and research settings?
  • A) Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ)
  • B) Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR)
  • C) Adult Attachment Interview (AAI)
  • D) Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ)
Answer
C) Adult Attachment Interview (AAI)
Developed by George, Kaplan, and Main, the AAI is a semi-structured interview coded for coherence of discourse (not content per se). It classifies adults as Secure-Autonomous (F), Dismissing (Ds), Preoccupied (E), or Unresolved/Disorganized (U).
6. The concept of "internal working models" in attachment theory refers to:
  • A) Neural templates for emotional regulation stored in the amygdala
  • B) Mental representations of self, others, and relationships that guide expectations and behavior
  • C) Implicit procedural memories for social scripts encoded during toddlerhood
  • D) Cognitive schemas about safety derived from classical conditioning
Answer
B) Mental representations of self, others, and relationships that guide expectations and behavior
Bowlby proposed that children construct internal working models based on early attachment experiences. These models shape how the individual expects caregivers (and later, relationship partners) to respond, and influence emotion regulation strategies across the lifespan.
7. In the Adult Attachment Interview, a Dismissing (Ds) adult typically demonstrates which discourse pattern?
  • A) Lengthy, angry, or passive preoccupation with past attachment figures
  • B) Brief, idealized, or unsupported positive descriptions of childhood with normalized dismissal of attachment
  • C) Coherent, collaborative, and balanced narrative with acknowledged difficulties
  • D) Lapses in reasoning or monitoring when discussing loss or abuse
Answer
B) Brief, idealized, or unsupported positive descriptions of childhood with normalized dismissal of attachment
Dismissing adults minimize the importance of attachment, often describe parents in globally positive terms but cannot support this with specific memories (semantic-episodic disconnect), and devalue attachment experiences.
8. Fonagy's concept of "mentalization" (reflective functioning) is most directly related to which aspect of attachment theory?
  • A) The Strange Situation classification system
  • B) The transmission gap between parental AAI status and infant attachment
  • C) Disorganized attachment and cortisol reactivity
  • D) Earned security and its neurobiological correlates
Answer
B) The transmission gap between parental AAI status and infant attachment
Fonagy proposed that reflective functioning - the capacity to understand mental states in self and others - is the mechanism through which a parent's attachment representation is transmitted to the infant. Parents with higher reflective functioning are more likely to have securely attached children, helping close the "transmission gap."
9. Which of the following findings best supports the concept of "earned security" in attachment theory?
  • A) Adults with histories of trauma always show disorganized attachment on the AAI
  • B) Secure AAI classification requires an absence of adverse childhood experiences
  • C) Some adults with difficult early histories achieve coherent, secure AAI narratives associated with positive parenting outcomes
  • D) Psychotherapy cannot alter attachment representations once consolidated
Answer
C) Some adults with difficult early histories achieve coherent, secure AAI narratives associated with positive parenting outcomes
"Earned security" (Pearce & Crisafi; also studied by Roisman and colleagues) refers to adults who are classified as Secure on the AAI despite reporting difficult early experiences. Their children's attachment security is comparable to that of "continuous security" adults, suggesting that coherent narrative processing - not just positive history - is what matters.
10. Hazan and Shaver (1987) extended attachment theory to adult romantic relationships. Which of the following is a key limitation of their original self-report measure compared to the AAI?
  • A) It cannot distinguish between secure and anxious attachment
  • B) Self-report measures are susceptible to conscious idealization and social desirability, whereas the AAI taps unconscious representational structure via discourse analysis
  • C) The measure was normed only on clinical populations
  • D) It conflates attachment style with adult temperament
Answer
B) Self-report measures are susceptible to conscious idealization and social desirability, whereas the AAI taps unconscious representational structure via discourse analysis
The AAI and self-report measures (like ECR or Hazan & Shaver's typology) are largely orthogonal (correlations near zero) because they assess different levels of the attachment system - the AAI accesses implicit representational states through narrative coherence, while self-reports capture consciously accessible attitudes.
Score guide: 9-10 correct = excellent command of attachment theory | 7-8 = solid foundation | below 7 = review Bowlby, Ainsworth, Main, and Fonagy's core works.
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