| Abstract: | The influence of infant physical attractiveness and infant temperament on the mother-infant relationship at 12 months of age was examined. Physical attractiveness of the infant was rated by 48 adults, and infant temperament was assessed by use of the Toddler Temperament Scale, which yields indices of activity level, rhythmicity, approach, adaptability, intensity, mood, persistence, distractibility, and threshold. Mother-infant attachment was measured via the Strange Situation. Results showed that 46% of the variance in attachment classification was accounted for by five of the nine dimensions of temperament (withdrawal from new situations, high intensity of response, low distractibility, negative mood, and low threshold of response). Physical attractiveness and other dimensions of temperament did not add significant amounts of variance over and above that contributed by the first five dimensions to the prediction of attachment. |
