Contributions of psychophysiology to research on adult attachment: Review and recommendations

Despite the increasing use of psychophysiological measures to investigate s ocial and interpersonal phenomena, few studies of adult romantic attachment have taken advantage of this approach. In this article I argue for a biolo gically-specific, theory-based integration of psychophysiological measures into adult attachment research. This approach would help elucidate the norm ative psychobiological properties of the attachment system, which have rece ived little study in humans. Specifically, it would allow researchers to te st targeted hypotheses regarding affect and arousal regulation in attachmen t relationships. I provide a general introduction to 2 biological systems t hat hold particular promise for adult attachment research: the parasympathe tic branch of the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-a drenocortical axis of the endocrine system. I highlight the relevance of th ese systems for attachment phenomena and review findings from selected soci al psychophysiological research. I conclude by outlining a tentative theore tical model of the psychobiology of adult attachment and identifying specif ic directions for future research.