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© Carol George, Malcolm West, Odette Pettem (1997). Adult Attachment
Projective Picture System. All rights reserved.
The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP)
is an adult attachment classification system based on the analysis of a set
of projective stimuli. The AAP was developed to provide researchers and
clinicians with a construct validated measure of adult attachment that
preserves the emphasis on mental representation and defensive process that is
one of the main components of attachment theory yet circumvents the limitations
of administration and analysis of interview measures.
The AAP system designates four classification groups
that parallel those designated using the Adult Attachment Interview (George,
Kaplan, & Main, 1984/1985/1996). Since most attachment researchers “boil
down” their data to major classification groups (F, Ds, E, U) or simply place
subjects into secure or insecure groups, the AAP fits the needs of the vast
majority of researchers and clinicians who use the adult attachment
construct.
The Measure.
The AAP is comprised of eight drawn picture stimuli: seven attachment-related
drawings and one drawing of a neutral scene used as a warm-up. Administration
of the AAP takes approximately 35 minutes. Beginning with a warm-up scene,
subjects are guided through the series by being asked to describe the events
in each picture.
Attachment Classification and Attachment Dimensions.
Subjects are classified into one of four major adult attachment
classification groups: Secure, Detached, Preoccupied, and Unresolved. In
addition to overall classification group, individuals are described on
several attachment theory derived relationship dimensions: Agency,
Connectedness, and Synchrony.
Validation of the AAP.
Our work with the AAP to date has established interjudge reliability and
convergent validity with the AAI. The reliability figures reported here are
based on a combined data set that includes a subsample of mothers of Failure
to Thrive Infants and their controls participating in a large research
project in Toronto, Canada (Dr. Diane Benoit, Principal Investigator), a
subsample from the Calgary Depression Study (Dr. Malcolm West, Principal
Investigator), and cases to date of participants in an AAP validity study
that we are currently conducting. Independent judges blind to AAI
classification and all other subject information completed AAP
classifications. Trained AAI judges completed AAI classifications. The
reliability figures are as follows: AAP interjudge reliability (N = 140) for
secure versus insecure classifications, .97% (kappa = .74, p
<000); interjudge reliability for the four major attachment groups, 97% (kappa = .82, p><000); AAP-AAI convergence (N = 122) for secure versus insecure classifications, 97% (kappa = .80, p = .000); convergence for the four major attachment groups is 92% (kappa = .89, p = .000). >
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