Editing Attachment theory (section)

===Secure attachment===
{{Main|Secure attachment}}

A toddler who is securely attached to his or her parent (or other familiar caregiver) will explore freely while the caregiver is present, typically engages with strangers, is often visibly upset when the caregiver departs, and is generally happy to see the caregiver return. The extent of exploration and of distress are affected, however, by the child's temperamental make-up and by situational factors as well as by attachment status. A child's attachment is largely influenced by their primary caregiver's sensitivity to their needs. Parents who consistently (or almost always) respond to their child's needs will create securely attached children. Such children are certain that their parents will be responsive to their needs and communications.<ref>[[Daniel Schacter|Schacter, D.L.]] et al. (2009). Psychology, Second Edition. New York: Worth Publishers. pp.441</ref>

In the traditional Ainsworth et al. (1978) coding of the [[Strange Situation]], secure infants are denoted as "Group B" infants and they are further subclassified as B1, B2, B3, and B4.<ref name="Ainsworth, M.D.S, Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S.">{{cite book | vauthors = Ainsworth MD, Blehar MC, Waters E, Wall S | date = 1978 | title =  Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. | location = Hillsdale, NJ | publisher = Earlbaum }}</ref> Although these subgroupings refer to different stylistic responses to the comings and goings of the caregiver, they were not given specific labels by Ainsworth and colleagues, although their descriptive behaviours led others (including students of Ainsworth) to devise a relatively "loose" terminology for these subgroups. B1s have been referred to as "secure-reserved", B2s as "secure-inhibited", B3s as "secure-balanced", and B4s as "secure-reactive". However, in academic publications the classification of infants (if subgroups are denoted) is typically simply "B1" or "B2", although more theoretical and review-oriented papers surrounding attachment theory may use the above terminology. Secure attachment is the most common type of attachment relationship seen throughout societies.<ref name="Ainsworth,1978a" />

Securely attached children are best able to explore when they have the knowledge of a secure base (their caregiver) to return to in times of need. When assistance is given, this bolsters the sense of security and also, assuming the parent's assistance is helpful, educates the child on how to cope with the same problem in the future. Therefore, secure attachment can be seen as the most adaptive attachment style. According to some psychological researchers, a child becomes securely attached when the parent is available and able to meet the needs of the child in a responsive and appropriate manner. At infancy and early childhood, if parents are caring and attentive towards their children, those children will be more prone to secure attachment.<ref name="Aronoff, J. 2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Aronoff J |year=2012 |title=Parental Nurturance in the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample: Theory, Coding, and Scores | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_cross-cultural-research_2012-11_46_4/page/315 |journal=Cross-Cultural Research |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=315–347 |doi=10.1177/1069397112450851|s2cid=147304847 }}</ref>