Examines associations among contemporaneous measures of marital quality, parenting attitudes and behavior, and toddler development in two-parent families. Seventy-five families with one 20-month-old child served as subjects. Results generally indicated that good marital quality was associated with optimal toddler functioning and sensitive…

Reviews the major transitional object (TO) theories in terms of origin, development, and psychological meaning. Examines the validity of TO (intense, persistent attachments young children develop for blankets, soft toys, and bits of cloth) theory in light of current empirical knowledge of TO behavior. (HOD)

The conceptualizations of morphogenic processes suggested by systems theorists provide a useful framework for describing growth and development in complex adaptive self-directing organisms. These processes involve changes in (1) a system's structure, state, or functioning; (2) discontinuities in development; and (3) at least two kinds of…

West German research on children's interests is described, with emphasis on a 3-year longitudinal study of 12 children, aged 3 to 7. Two main lines of interest research are identified: (1) research activities rooted in the tradition of differential psychology emphasizing vocational interests, traits, and attitudes; and (2) research based on a new…

Three hypotheses were investigated among 121 maltreating and adequate mother/child dyads: that (1) there would be qualitative differences in the supportiveness of mothers' networks; (2) differences would be related to differences in child attachment to mother; and (3) differences in mothers' approaches to relationships might have influenced their…