Attachment-related attention bias plays a causal role in trust in maternal support

The current study was designed to test whether children's ability to flexibly shift their attention (from their mother during distress to peers during exploration and vice versa) causally increases children's trust in the mother's support. We trained attention flexibility using a gaze-contingent music reward design. A total of 85 children (9-13 years of age; 46% boys) were randomly assigned to this training or a comparable yoked control condition. Attentional preferences were measured via eye tracking. Before and after the manipulation, we measured self-reported trust. Results showed that the training condition increased children's attention flexibility. Training-related increased attentional focus on the mother during distress was linked with increased trust. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Trust Development as an Expectancy-learning Process: Testing Contingency Effects.

Trust in parental support and subsequent support seeking behavior, a hallmark of secure attachment, result from experiences with sensitive parents during distress. However, the underlying developmental mechanism remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that trust is the result of an expectancy-learning process condtional upon contingency (the probability that caregiver support has a positive outcome). We developed a new paradigm in which a novel caregiver provides help to solve a problem. Contingency of the caregiver's support was manipulated and participants' trust in the caregiver and their help seeking behavior was measured in three independent samples. The hypothesis was supported suggesting that trust and support seeking result from an expectancy-learning process. These findings' potential contribution to attachment theory is discussed.status: publishe

Trust development as an expectancy-learning process: Testing contingency effects.

Trust in parental support and subsequent support seeking behavior, a hallmark of secure attachment, result from experiences with sensitive parents during distress. However, the underlying developmental mechanism remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that trust is the result of an expectancy-learning process condtional upon contingency (the probability that caregiver support has a positive outcome). We developed a new paradigm in which a novel caregiver provides help to solve a problem. Contingency of the caregiver's support was manipulated and participants' trust in the caregiver and their help seeking behavior was measured in three independent samples. The hypothesis was supported suggesting that trust and support seeking result from an expectancy-learning process. These findings' potential contribution to attachment theory is discussed

Stability and Change in Secure Base Script Knowledge During Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study

There is limited research examining stability and change in attachment security in middle childhood. The current study addresses this gap using data from a 3-year longitudinal study. Specifically, we examined stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood using a sample of 157 children (Wave 1 mean age [Mage] = 10.91, standard deviation [SD] = 0.87) assessed at 1-year intervals across 4 waves. Secure base script knowledge was moderately stable over time, as script scores were significantly correlated between each wave. We also investigated the impact of life stress on change in secure base script knowledge within individuals across waves. The results demonstrated that daily hassles (minor and frequently occurring stressful life events) but not major (more severe and infrequent) stressful life events predicted change in script knowledge. Implications for attachment-based interventions and, more broadly, the stability of attachment security are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).status: publishe

The N-terminal soluble domains of Bacillus subtilis CopA exhibit a high affinity and capacity for Cu(i) ions

CopA from Bacillus subtilis is a Cu(I)-transporting P-type ATPase involved in resistance to high levels of environmental copper. At its N-terminus are two soluble domains, a and b, that, when generated in isolation from the membrane part, have previously been shown to exhibit unusual Cu(I)-binding behaviour: at >1 Cu(I) per CopAab the protein dimerises, resulting in the formation of a species with luminescence properties characteristic of a solvent-shielded Cu(I) cluster. Further insight into the Cu(I)-binding properties of CopAab are now reported. We demonstrate that the initial binding of Cu(I) occurs with very high affinity (K = ~ 4 × 1017 M-1) and that CopAab can accommodate up to 4 Cu(I) per protein and remains dimeric at higher Cu(I)-loadings. Fitting of UV-visible, near UV CD, fluorescence and luminescence spectroscopic titration data supports a model in which Cu(I) binds sequentially to CopAab, and also provides estimates of the association constants for Cu(I)-binding and dimerisation steps. Finally, low molecular weight thiols are shown not to affect the initial binding of Cu(I), but significantly influence binding at levels >1 Cu(I) per CopAab such that dimerisation is inhibited, though not abolished