Assessing attachment security with the Attachment Q Sort: meta-analytic evidence for the validity of the observer AQS.
The reliability and validity of the Attachment Q Sort (AQS; Waters & Deane, 1985) was tested in a series of meta-analyses on 139 studies with 13,835 children. The observer AQS security score showed convergent validity with Strange Situation procedure (SSP) security (r = .31) and excellent predictive validity with sensitivity measures (r = .39). Its association with temperament was weaker (r = .16), which supports the discriminant validity of the observer AQS. Studies on the stability of the observer AQS are still relatively scarce but they have yielded promising results (mean r = .28; k = 4, n = 162). It is concluded that the observer AQS, but not the self-reported AQS, is a valid measure of attachment.
van IJzendoorn
Marinus H
MH
Center for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands. vanijzen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Vereijken
Carolus M J L
CM
Bakermans-Kranenburg
Marian J
MJ
Riksen-Walraven
J Marianne
JM
D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009769:Object Attachment; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament