Coates, B., Anderson, E. P., & Hartup, W. W. (1972). The stability of attachment behaviors in the human infant. Developmental Psychology, 6(2), 231-237.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0032088
Investigated the stability of 8 attachment behaviors in 2 groups of 28 infants seen at either 10 and 14 or 14 and 18 mo. Of age. For each testing period, ss were observed (a) in the presence of the mother; and (b) before, during, and after a brief separation experience. Correlational analyses were performed to assess stability within sessions, from day to day, and across a 4-mo period. Little stability of any kind was found for visual regard and vocalizing to the mother, or for crying and 3 behaviors indicating orientation to the locus of the mother's disappearance. In contrast, both short- and long-term stability were found for touching and proximity to the mother. Results indicate that attachment behaviors do not form a uniformly stable system in 10-, 14-, and 18-mo-old infants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)