An examination of the relationship between intelligence and attachment in adulthood

Abstract

Although intelligence and attachment have both been thoroughly studied, their relationship has been strangely neglected, particularly when it comes to the adult population. Our study sought to fill this gap in the literature and test the hypothesis that securely attached individuals would perform better on standard tests of intelligence than individuals with insecure attachment patterns. The study also addressed the question whether particular aspects of intelligence (e.g., verbal/nonverbal reasoning) are differently related to the dimensions defining quality of attachment (e.g., anxiety and avoidance). Participants in the study were 262 adults (143 male, age range 21-61), who were administered a battery of intelligence tests, as well as two measures of attachment: the ECR-R and QAA-R. The latter instrument was also used to categorize subjects into four attachment patterns: secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful. The results of an ANOVA indicate that there are significant differences between the four attachment patterns on a g-factor of intelligence (F-(258,F- 3) = 19.637, p = .000), with post hoc tests revealing that the "secure" group scores significantly higher on g than either of the three "insecure" groups. The same pattern of results is obtained for both verbal and nonverbal reasoning, as well as general knowledge. Although the differences between the three "insecure" groups are not always significant, there is a clear trend for the "fearful" to be the lowest-scoring group, regardless of the intelligence test employed. An inspection of the correlations between attachment dimensions and intelligence further reveals that ECR-Anxiety shows a stronger relationship to intellectual ability (r = -.296 - -.408) than does ECR-Avoidance (r= -.139 -.247), though all the correlations are significant (p lt .05). With respect to QAA-R, the strongest correlation with intelligence is found for the Negative self (r = -.288 - -.402, p = .000), Mentalization (r = .296 -.394, p = .000), and Negative others subscales (r= -. 229 --. 338, p=.000); the only subscale not related to intellectual ability is Use of secure base. The results confirm our initial hypothesis that secure attachment represents an asset when it comes to intellectual performance, even beyond childhood, and on both verbal and nonverbal tests of ability.