70 Years of Attachment Research: A Multidisciplinary Social Neuroscience Perspective

9:00am – 9:15am BST (11:00am – 11:15am IDT)

• Welcome & Introduction Day 1: Tsachi Ein-Dor & Pascal Vrtička

9:15am – 10:15am BST (11:15am – 12:15pm IDT)

• Keynote 1: Mario Mikulincer

10:15am – 10:45am BST (12:15pm – 12:45pm IDT)

• Coffee Break

10:45am – 11:45am BST (12:45pm – 13:45pm IDT)

• Keynote 2: Pascal Vrtička

11:45am – 1:00pm BST (1:45pm – 3:00pm IDT)

• Plenary Oral Presentation Session 1: Talks A - E

1:00pm – 2:00pm BST (3:00pm – 4:00pm IDT)

• Lunch break

2:00pm – 3:00pm BST (4:00pm – 5:00pm IDT)

• Keynote 3: Ashley Groh

3:00pm – 4:00pm BST (5:00pm – 6:00pm IDT)

• Keynote 4: Kristin Bernard

4:00pm – 4:15pm BST (6:00pm – 6:15pm IDT)

• Concluding Remarks Day 1: Tsachi Ein-Dor & Pascal Vrticka

4:15pm – 4:30pm BST (6:15pm – 6:30pm IDT)

• Coffee Break

4:30pm – 5:30pm BST (6:30pm – 7:30pm IDT)

• Virtual Poster Room Presentations 1: Posters 01 - 10

9:00am – 9:15am BST (11:00am – 11:15am IDT)

• Welcome & Introduction Day 2: Tsachi Ein-Dor & Pascal Vrticka

9:15am – 10:15am BST (11:15am – 12:15pm IDT)

• Keynote 5: Anne Rifkin Graboi

10:15am – 10:45am BST (12:15pm – 12:45pm)

• Coffee Break

10:45am – 11:45am BST (12:45pm – 1:45pm IDT)

• Keynote 6: Tsachi Ein-Dor

11:45am – 1:00pm BST (1:45pm – 3:00pm IDT)

• Plenary Oral Presentation Session 2: Talks F - J

1:00pm – 2:00pm BST (3:00pm – 4:00pm IDT)

• Lunch break

2:00pm – 3:00pm BST (4:00pm – 5:00pm IDT)

• Keynote 7: Nicole Letourneau & Sarah Merrill

3:00pm – 4:00pm BST (5:00pm – 6:00pm IDT)

• Keynote 8: Cheri Marmarosh

4:00pm – 4:15pm BST (6:00pm – 6:15pm IDT)

• Concluding Remarks Day 2 - Tsachi Ein-Dor & Pascal Vrticka

4:15pm – 4:30pm BST (6:15pm – 6:30pm IDT)

• Coffee Break

4:30pm – 5:30pm BST (6:30pm – 7:30pm IDT)

• Virtual Poster Room Presentations 2: Posters 11 – 20

In this lecture, I present the core construct in attachment theory – behavioural system – and evaluates its usefulness for studying species-universal and individual-differences aspects of social motives, cognitions, and behaviours and understanding the evolutionary basis of social behaviour, interpersonal relations, and group processes.

I begin by explaining the behavioural systems construct, including its evolutionary basis and its species-universal and individual-differences aspects, which interact with social situations to shape social behaviour.

Next, I discuss the behavioural systems studied to date: attachment, exploration, caregiving, sex, and power, while trying to understand their dynamic interplay in shaping personality and social behaviour.

I place more emphasis on the attachment system than on the other behavioural systems because it has received more research attention, but I also summarise new research related to the other behavioural systems.

In 1992, John Cacioppo and Gary Berntson for the first time described social neuroscience as a new field at the interface of (social) psychology and neurobiology with the aim of revealing the biological and particularly neural underpinnings of human social behaviour.

Already in the first description of social neuroscience, mother-infant attachment and early childhood experiences were mentioned as core constituents of human social behaviour, which highlights the intrinsic connection of social neuroscience with attachment theory.

The above said, most social neuroscience investigations into human interactions and relationships have so far only indirectly referred to attachment theory. Consequently, there has been a lack of a comprehensive framework of the social neuroscience of human attachment.

Building upon first considerations published in 2012, we recently proposed a refined functional neuro-anatomical model of human attachment (NAMA), and are currently extending it to disrupted/disorganised attachment (NAMDA).

In the first part of my talk, I will describe the underlying considerations and most consistent predictions emerging from NAMA and NAMDA.

In the second part of my talk, I will show that social neuroscience is presently undergoing an important transition from first- to second-person paradigms emphasising the need to investigate interpersonal processes during direct social interaction. I will provide concrete examples of this transition by presenting new findings from our own functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyper-scanning studies looking at bio-behavioural synchrony and inter-brain coherence in parents and their young children.

Altogether, I hope that my talk will illustrate how a better conceptualisation of attachment processes by means of NAMA and NAMDA and the addition of second-person paradigms can advance attachment theory and research within the 21st century.

There has been a rapid increase in research on the neurobiological correlates of attachment.

Indeed, this growing body of research has resulted in additional chapters to the Handbook of Attachment specifically dedicated to the neuroscience of attachment (Coan, 2008, 2016; Ehrlich et al., 2016; Fox & Hane, 2008; Hane & Fox, 2016).

Given the centrality of parent-child relationships to attachment, it is perhaps no surprise that the significance of adult attachment for neurobiological responding integral to parent-child relationships figures prominently in this literature.

In this talk, I will present findings from my research that have provided evidence for the role of the legacy of attachment-relevant experiences as reflected in parents’ representations of attachment in contributing to the neurobiology of parenting. Specifically, presented findings from several studies will provide evidence that parents’ attachment representations contribute to their central (EEG, ERP) and peripheral autonomic (SCL, RSA) physiological responding to infant stimuli and while interacting with their infant.

Findings across studies provide insight into potential underlying mechanisms by which parents’ attachment representations contribute to parenting behaviour and the quality of parent-child attachment. Further, findings will be discussed in relation to the strengths and limitations of neurobiological methods and how they might be successfully leveraged to advance attachment research.

Children who experience early adversity, such as neglect, abuse, and disruptions in care, are at high risk for later problems across socioemotional, behavioural, and physical health domains.

Importantly, sensitive parenting can buffer children from maladaptive outcomes by protecting against neurobiological consequences of early adversity.

This talk will explore how early life stress influences children’s neurobiological development and how optimal care-giving and preventative interventions may buffer at-risk children from problematic outcomes.

Specifically, several studies will be presented that examine

1. the effects of early adversity on children’s neurobiology
2. the protective role of responsive care-giving for children living in chronically challenging conditions
3. the effectiveness of an attachment-based parenting program for children at risk for maltreatment.

Together, findings from these studies highlight the importance of translational, inter-disciplinary research for identifying and serving the needs of children who face early adversity.

Attachment theory has always been the product of cross disciplinary thinking, influenced by biological research.

Yet, only within the last decade have we really begun to investigate the neural precursors, correlates, and consequences of parenting and attachment.

In this talk I will review a selection of imaging findings and discuss what they do and do not tell us. This talk will also consider whether such investigations have practical value to fields like psychiatry and education, over and above their basic contribution to scientific knowledge.

The most prominent psychological theory and research field on the development and maintenance of our social mind is Bowlby’s attachment theory (Bowlby, 1982).

According to attachment theory, different nurturing environments prime the development of distinct, albeit adaptive, personality-like dispositions that in turn associate with various social tendencies such as the need for closeness, caring, helping others, and regulating emotions.

Although psychological research provides rich and insightful understanding of attachment patterns, most of the individual differences in these patterns (i.e. variance between people) remain unexplained by nurture alone. A decade and a half ago, animal models began exploring the possible genetic and epigenetic makeup of early development and its effect on attachment and sociability.

In my talk, I will present the genetic and epigenetic research on attachment patterns and discuss the possibilities and challenges of these lines of research.

A central proposition of Bowlby’s ethological attachment theory is that attachment is integral to human behaviour throughout the lifespan, “from the cradle to the grave”.

Similarly, our current understanding of DNA methylation (DNAm) is also one of biological programming and predisposition through the developmental origins of early life environments.

As of yet, there is a dearth of explorations into the potential biological embedding of environments related to attachment and no studies examining this relationship before a behavioural attachment pattern is assessed. Therefore, we analysed the association between DNAm and eventual attachment pattern in the attachment-in-the-making phase of early life.

Findings demonstrate association between DNAm at 3 months in peripheral tissue and later attachment pattern. Moreover, the identified links between CpG sites and attachment pattern suggest a potential pathway to explain the compromised immune function and mental health challenges that present in children and adults with insecure or disorganised attachment patterns.

Dr. Marmarosh will present contemporary theory and empirical research demonstrating how patient attachment styles influence treatment in both individual and group psychotherapy. She will explore how treatment influences changes in attachment including changes in the brain.She will also address how therapist/leader attachment influences the therapy process.

Clinical examples will be used to bring the theory and research to life. Audience participation is encouraged and time will be allotted to ask questions and discuss the presentation.