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Article
Naive Observers' Perceptions of Family Drawings by 7-year-olds with Disorganized Attachment Histories
Attachment & Human Development
  • Sheri Madigan, University of Western Ontario
  • Susan Goldberg, University of Toronto
  • Greg Moran, University of Western Ontario
  • David R. Pederson, University of Western Ontario
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2004
Abstract

Previous research has succeeded in distinguishing among drawings made by children with histories of organized attachment relationships (secure, avoidant, and resistant); however, drawings of children with histories of disorganized attachment have yet to be systematically investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether naive observers would respond differentially to family drawings of 7-year-olds who were classified in infancy as disorganized vs. organized. Seventy-three undergraduate students from one university and 78 from a second viewed 50 family drawings of 7-year-olds (25 by children with organized infant attachment and 25 by children with disorganized infant attachment). Participants were asked to (1) circle the emotion that best described their reaction to the drawings and (2) rate the drawings on 6 bipolar scales. Drawings from children classified as disorganized in infancy evoked positive emotion labels less often and negative emotion labels more often than those children classified as organized. Furthermore, drawings from children classified as disorganized in infancy received higher ratings on scales for disorganization, carelessness, family chaos, bizarreness, uneasiness, and dysfunction. These data indicate that naive observers are relatively successful in distinguishing selected features of drawings by children with histories of disorganized vs. organized attachment.

Notes
Published in: Attachment & Human Development, Volume 6, Issue 3 September 2004 , pages 223 - 239. doi: 10.1080/14616730412331281548
Citation Information
Sheri Madigan, Susan Goldberg, Greg Moran and David R. Pederson. "Naive Observers' Perceptions of Family Drawings by 7-year-olds with Disorganized Attachment Histories" Attachment & Human Development Vol. 6 Iss. 3 (2004) p. 223 - 239
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gregmoran/25/