The role of parent–child attachment in toddlers’ executive functions: a longitudinal two-parent study

Abstract

This longitudinal study examined the respective contributions of father–child and mother–child attachment to children’s later executive functions (EF) during toddlerhood. The sample included 88 Canadian toddlers (51% boys) and their parents (89% White) visited in their homes at about 13 (T1) and 19 (T2) months of age. At T1, father–child and mother–child interactions were evaluated using the Attachment Q-Set. At T2, toddlers’ hot and cool components of EF were assessed using behavioral tasks. Findings from two sets of analyses converged to suggest that developing secure attachment relationships with both parents may be optimal for the development of cool EF during toddlerhood.