VII. MATERNAL SECURE BASE SCRIPT KNOWLEDGE AND JUDGMENTS OF MOTHER–CHILD INTERACTIONS

Previous studies have shown that mothers with high script scores are better at providing secure base support in naturalistic settings. In the current study, we examine whether maternal script knowledge guides mothers’ expectations and judgments of mother–child interactions, providing a bridge between their knowledge and behavior. Forty mothers were asked to use a new Parental Secure Base Q-set designed to characterize a typical mother–child play day at a park. Furthermore, video clips from mother–child joint storytelling sessions, already scored for maternal co-construction skills (from Chapter IV), were presented. The mothers rated the videotaped mothers’ interaction skills on several quality of interaction scales (sensitivity to signals, cooperation vs. inference, affect regulation). Results indicated that mothers with high script scores showed greater understanding of secure base support (Q-sort data) and an observant “eye” for skillful mother–child interaction, particularly with respect to noting less effective mother–child interactions. These findings support the hypothesis that secure base script knowledge is linked to broad-based understanding of secure base support across contexts.