AN OBSERVATIONAL MEASURE OF CHILDRENS ATTACHMENTS TO SOFT OBJECTS

The purpose of this study was to develop a direct observational measure of childrenʹs attachments to inanimate objects such as blankets and soft toys. The procedure was designed to vary arousal levels across situations while ensuring that the child always had access to both mother and various inanimate sources of comfort. Fifty mother-toddler (15 to 31 months) dyads participated (31 object attached and 19 nonobject attached, based on maternal ratings). The validity of the procedure was supported by its ability to capture the preference of object attached children for their treasured object over other items brought from home, to distinguish object attached and non-object attached toddlers on the basis of amount of contact with familiar soft objects as stress levels increased, and to predict the broad classifications of maternally rated intensity of object attachment (mild/moderate vs. strong). The results are discussed in terms of parental concerns about soft object attachments and the techniques young children use to regulate their emotions.