title: Are anxiously attached women better mindreaders?
abstract: This research was aimed at providing first evidence concerning the relationship between adults' self-reported attachment style and their performance on a standard 'theory of mind' task. Based on adult attachment theory, we hypothesized that the two dimensions of self-reported adult attachment, anxiety and avoidance, are differently related to 'theory of mind,' and that this relationship is moderated by variables concerning the 'theory of mind' stimuli. The 'Experiences in Close Relationships' questionnaire and the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' test were administered to 132 young women. In line with our expectations, women's attachment-related anxiety was associated with better mind reading concerning stimuli that were emotionally neutral or difficult to recognize.
authors.affiliation: ECONA, Interuniversity Centre for Research on Cognitive Processing in Natural and Artificial Systems, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy. thomas.huenefeldt@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hünefeldt
authors.forename: Fiorenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laghi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ortu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009769:Object Attachment; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult