​WELCOME TO THE ATTACHMENT RESEARCH & RELATIONAL THINKING LAB

We are a research group based in the Department of Psychology at Long Island University- Post. Our focus is on how attachment relationships across the lifespan (infancy through adulthood) influence mental health. We currently concentrate on two research questions:

• ​In childhood: What is the joint effect of early attachment relationships children simultaneously develop with their mothers and fathers on later socioemotional and cognitive outcomes?

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• In adulthood: How do adult scripted attachment representations (i.e., our expectations regarding the availability of close others and the effectiveness of their support at times of need that is based on our early life experiences) relate to mental health and play out in interactions between romantic partners?​

Why do we research attachment?
Our research on how attachment representations develop and influence our ability to cope with emotional distress across the lifespan has significant practical implications. It directly impacts the focus of psychotherapy, shifting it from the immediate problem to the underlying issue of not having effective support during intense emotional distress.

How do we research attachment across the lifespan?
We use a range of methods, including observational measures (e.g., the Strange Situation Procedure; SSP), semi-structured interview assessments (e.g., the Adult Attachment Interview; AAI), narrative coding techniques (e.g., Attachment Script Assessment), and behavioral assessments (e.g., romantic couples dyadic interaction tasks) to assess attachment representations and behaviors across the lifespan. We incorporate longitudinal, multivariate, and multilevel modeling (in R) to analyze large data sets, and use both traditional and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analytic methods to take stock of attachment research that has been conducted over the past 50 years. 

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