The Attachment-related picture set (ARPS): development and validation

There is a surge of research on the link between attachment and the selective processing of pictorial stimuli. However, the pictures that are often presented in the experimental paradigms have not been specifically related to attachment and moreover, have not been validated and unified based on different dimensions of emotion. Therefore, preparing coherent and validated sets of attachment-related pictures in this field is needed. In the current study we developed a novel and comprehensive pictorial database of attachment stimuli. We created four positive and four negative attachment-related categories (caring, warm parent-child relationships, warm familial and peer relationships, romantic relationships, separation, loneliness and rejection, maltreatment, and loss). Next, we collected 406 attachment relevant pictures and 53 neutral ones. The pictures were rated by 310 students (142 men) with a mean age of 26.42 (SD = 3.45) based on four dimensions of valence (pleasant- unpleasant), arousal (calm or excited), category-relevance, and attachment-relevance. Normative ratings on the four dimensions are presented for each category. Split-half reliability indicated high internal consistency of participant’s response to the pictures in all dimensions. This comprehensive pictorial set can be widely used especially in research addressing information processing in attachment.