{"id":{"repo_id":"ku","oai_identifier":"oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/16850"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/ku/oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/16850","repository":{"repo_id":"ku","name":"University of Kansas","base_url":"https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Use of Material Objects as a Secure Base","abstract":"Attachment theory proposes that people form and maintain close interpersonal relationships in part because they provide a secure base for personal growth. Emerging evidence expands on this insight by showing that people sometimes seek (and find) this secure base in non-human sources (e.g., pets), particularly under conditions of threatened or absent social connection. The current research presents the first evidence that material objects can serve as a secure base, increasing felt security and the willingness to explore. Priming a valued object prevented a loss of exploration intentions following threat (Study 1). Consistent with prior research, objects effectively bolstered security and exploration particularly when uncertainty about social support was dispositionally high (Study 2) and experimentally increased (Studies 3 & 4). Study 5 showed that, in the wake of support uncertainty, an object increased exploration only if participants appraised that object as dependable--a defining characteristic of a human secure base.","abstract_html":"Attachment theory proposes that people form and maintain close interpersonal relationships in part because they provide a secure base for personal growth. Emerging evidence expands on this insight by showing that people sometimes seek (and find) this secure base in non-human sources (e.g., pets), particularly under conditions of threatened or absent social connection. The current research presents the first evidence that material objects can serve as a secure base, increasing felt security and the willingness to explore. Priming a valued object prevented a loss of exploration intentions following threat (Study 1). Consistent with prior research, objects effectively bolstered security and exploration particularly when uncertainty about social support was dispositionally high (Study 2) and experimentally increased (Studies 3 & 4). Study 5 showed that, in the wake of support uncertainty, an object increased exploration only if participants appraised that object as dependable--a defining characteristic of a human secure base.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Keefer, Lucas Allen"],"institution":"University of Kansas","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Landau, Mark J"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-08-31","date_published":"2014-08-31","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:56Z","subjects":["Social psychology","Experimental psychology","Attachment","Materialism","Personal Growth","Social Support","Uncertainty"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13578"],"render_values":[{"text":"http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13578","href":"http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13578","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1808/16850","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Landau, Mark J"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Keefer, Lucas Allen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2015-02-25T17:31:24Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-02-25T17:31:24Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2014-08-31"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Kansas"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Social psychology","Experimental psychology","Attachment","Materialism","Personal Growth","Social Support","Uncertainty"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13578"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1808/16850"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Attachment theory proposes that people form and maintain close interpersonal relationships in part because they provide a secure base for personal growth. Emerging evidence expands on this insight by showing that people sometimes seek (and find) this secure base in non-human sources (e.g., pets), particularly under conditions of threatened or absent social connection. The current research presents the first evidence that material objects can serve as a secure base, increasing felt security and the willingness to explore. Priming a valued object prevented a loss of exploration intentions following threat (Study 1). Consistent with prior research, objects effectively bolstered security and exploration particularly when uncertainty about social support was dispositionally high (Study 2) and experimentally increased (Studies 3 & 4). Study 5 showed that, in the wake of support uncertainty, an object increased exploration only if participants appraised that object as dependable--a defining characteristic of a human secure base."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Use of Material Objects as a Secure Base"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Landau, Mark J"],"dc:creator":["Keefer, Lucas Allen"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2015-02-25T17:31:24Z"],"dc:date.available":["2015-02-25T17:31:24Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2014-08-31"],"dc:description.abstract":["Attachment theory proposes that people form and maintain close interpersonal relationships in part because they provide a secure base for personal growth. Emerging evidence expands on this insight by showing that people sometimes seek (and find) this secure base in non-human sources (e.g., pets), particularly under conditions of threatened or absent social connection. The current research presents the first evidence that material objects can serve as a secure base, increasing felt security and the willingness to explore. Priming a valued object prevented a loss of exploration intentions following threat (Study 1). Consistent with prior research, objects effectively bolstered security and exploration particularly when uncertainty about social support was dispositionally high (Study 2) and experimentally increased (Studies 3 & 4). Study 5 showed that, in the wake of support uncertainty, an object increased exploration only if participants appraised that object as dependable--a defining characteristic of a human secure base."],"dc:identifier.other":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13578"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1808/16850"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["University of Kansas"],"dc:rights":["This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author."],"dc:subject":["Social psychology","Experimental psychology","Attachment","Materialism","Personal Growth","Social Support","Uncertainty"],"dc:title":["The Use of Material Objects as a Secure Base"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:56Z"}