This study examined the differential effects of sex of parent, sex of child, and sex of stranger on infant behavior in a stranger-separation situation. Year-old infants (16 males and 19 females) from middle-class families were observed and videotaped twice, at one-week intervals, in a modification of Ainsworth's laboratory stranger and separation…

This paper seeks to integrate some ideas from family systems theory and attachment theory within a theory of public opinion and social movement. Citing the classic "The Authoritarian Personality," the paper states that the first authorities children know, their parents or other caregivers, shape children's attitudes toward all…

Despite recent widespread claims about the importance of early contact for facilitating mother-infant bonding, the effects of early contact have not been convincingly demonstrated. Methodological and procedural difficulties, contributing to a "Hawthorne" effect, may account for the pattern of inconsistent and unclear findings to date.…

The paper reviews research on parental effects on the child, child effects on the parent, and reciprocal effects for the child's characteristics in general and for conduct disorder in particular. Evidence is cited which suggests validity of both the adult-to-child and child-to-adult effects model. Addressing the question of where the preponderant…

The deleterious effects of separation and deprivation using children who were undergoing chemotherapy for childhood cancer was investigated. Extensive observational and physiological records were obtained on four children under five years of age during six weeks of treatment in a protected environment. In general, findings parallel those reported…

Sibling relationships are not only maintained throughout life in most cases, but assume considerable importance in old age. Siblings provide psychological support for each other as well as more tangible forms of helping and caregiving. In order to investigate variables leading to sibling help in the area of psychological support, a path model…

Research on the effectiveness of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) in enhancing the mother-newborn relationship has had inconsistent results. A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of an NBAS intervention with a high-risk mother group. The study focused on low-income, drug-using mothers, measuring the effectiveness of the…

This paper describes five experimental studies which explored the influence of fathers' home caregiving and interactional characteristics on their infant's laboratory behavior. Approximately 300 families with children ranging in age from 6 to 24 months were studied. Each infant's reactions were observed as a function of the manipulation of the…

This paper presents some findings of a detailed analysis of infants' approach behavior in a familiar, naturalistic setting. A total of 26, white, middle-class infant-mother pairs were observed in the home every three weeks during the first year of the child's life. Instances of infant approach to both mother and observer were coded from the…

This secondary analysis of De Wolff and van IJzendoorn's (1997) meta-analysis of maternal behavior and attachment reexamined their conclusion that sensitivity was not a preferred predictor of attachment security. The meta-analysis included 66 studies with 123 effect sizes sorted through a combination of personal choice and homogeneity analysis…

To examine clinical implications for using maternal language as a dimension of assessment and intervention, a linguistic and behavioral analysis was completed on a mother suspected of neglect during interaction with her 5-month-old failure-to-thrive infant. Results of the videotaped sample were compared to previous research on maternal language…

Love and romance continue to be important issues within every age group, not merely among the usually studied college students. Two issues, the nature or intensity of the love experienced and the motives or purposes of love were examined for different age groups. The ways in which the pursuit of heterosexual love may change throughout adult life…

This paper is a summary of results of two overlapping longitudinal studies tracing the development of mother-infant and father-infant attachments between 7 and 24 months of age. Interaction between 10 male and 10 female infants and their parents was observed in the subjects' homes. Interaction with parents was compared to interaction with an…

This paper begins by outlining four aims of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, namely: (1) to create developmental environments which facilitate interaction between adults and children; (2) to develop adults' sensitivity for children and to increase their level of knowledge of the young child's needs; (3) to give adults the ability to…