Attachment of kibbutz infants to mother and metapelet.

122 children, born and reared on Israel kibbutzim, were observed in a cross-sectional study of infant attachment behaviors. Their reaction to either mother or metapelet (caretaker) separation and reunion was recorded over a 13-sequence experimental paradigm. Results indicated that children protested equally to either mother or metapelet separation when left with a stranger. Reunion behaviors seemed to be sensitive to the different attachment relationships the infant had with each caretaker, while separation behaviors were not. The quality of the infant-mother interactions as it is related to the infant's ordinal position had a significant effect on infant attachment behavior in the experimental situation. Firstborn (only) children were more anxious than later-borns during the session. Speculation as to the origin of these significant ordinal differences is discussed.