Affective and Social-Cognitive Dimensions of Early Memories as Predictors of Attachment Security
Major/Area of Research
Clinical Psychology
Description
INTRODUCTION: Attachment theory and object relations both emphasize how early relational experiences become internalized as enduring models of self and others, yet these traditions are rarely integrated empirically. This study examined how object-relational dimensions coded from autobiographical early-memory narratives relate to attachment security, and whether self-reported relational expectations moderate these associations.
METHOD: The sample included 124 adults (M age = 37.9 years, range 20–73; 41.5% male) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Procedures were conducted remotely using Qualtrics. Participants completed the Early Memory Test, providing four autobiographical memories (earliest, second earliest, and earliest involving mother- and father-figures), followed by self-report measures, including the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) and the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R). Narratives were coded using the Early Memory Attachment Q-sort (EMAQ), yielding a continuous attachment security score via correlation with a secure prototype, and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale–Global (SCORS-G), assessing eight object-relational dimensions. Multiple regression tested which SCORS-G dimensions predicted attachment security. Mediation analyses examined whether Affective Quality of Relationships (AFF) and Understanding of Social Causality (SC) accounted for effects of Emotional Investment in Relationships (EIR) and Complexity of Representations (COM) on attachment security. Moderation analyses tested whether Self- and Other-Model scores from the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ)—indices of internal working models reflecting views of the self (self-worth) and others (availability)—moderated these associations.
RESULTS: Contrary to hypotheses, EIR and COM were not unique predictors of attachment security. AFF (β = 1.74, p < .001) and SC (β = 2.21, p = .004) emerged as the strongest predictors, with the full model explaining 58.1% of the variance. Mediation analyses indicated that EIR’s association with attachment security was fully accounted for by AFF, and COM’s by SC. A single moderation effect emerged: SC predicted attachment security more strongly among individuals with more positive Other-Model scores.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that affective tone of relationships and capacity to understand interpersonal dynamics, rather than representational complexity or relational investment alone, are most closely associated with attachment security. These results highlight shared relational-affective mechanisms linking attachment and object relations, supporting the idea that both reflect a common internal architecture rooted in early experience.
Affective and Social-Cognitive Dimensions of Early Memories as Predictors of Attachment Security
INTRODUCTION: Attachment theory and object relations both emphasize how early relational experiences become internalized as enduring models of self and others, yet these traditions are rarely integrated empirically. This study examined how object-relational dimensions coded from autobiographical early-memory narratives relate to attachment security, and whether self-reported relational expectations moderate these associations.
METHOD: The sample included 124 adults (M age = 37.9 years, range 20–73; 41.5% male) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Procedures were conducted remotely using Qualtrics. Participants completed the Early Memory Test, providing four autobiographical memories (earliest, second earliest, and earliest involving mother- and father-figures), followed by self-report measures, including the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) and the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R). Narratives were coded using the Early Memory Attachment Q-sort (EMAQ), yielding a continuous attachment security score via correlation with a secure prototype, and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale–Global (SCORS-G), assessing eight object-relational dimensions. Multiple regression tested which SCORS-G dimensions predicted attachment security. Mediation analyses examined whether Affective Quality of Relationships (AFF) and Understanding of Social Causality (SC) accounted for effects of Emotional Investment in Relationships (EIR) and Complexity of Representations (COM) on attachment security. Moderation analyses tested whether Self- and Other-Model scores from the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ)—indices of internal working models reflecting views of the self (self-worth) and others (availability)—moderated these associations.
RESULTS: Contrary to hypotheses, EIR and COM were not unique predictors of attachment security. AFF (β = 1.74, p < .001) and SC (β = 2.21, p = .004) emerged as the strongest predictors, with the full model explaining 58.1% of the variance. Mediation analyses indicated that EIR’s association with attachment security was fully accounted for by AFF, and COM’s by SC. A single moderation effect emerged: SC predicted attachment security more strongly among individuals with more positive Other-Model scores.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that affective tone of relationships and capacity to understand interpersonal dynamics, rather than representational complexity or relational investment alone, are most closely associated with attachment security. These results highlight shared relational-affective mechanisms linking attachment and object relations, supporting the idea that both reflect a common internal architecture rooted in early experience.