Recent longitudinal data suggest that retrospectively defined earned-secures are not more likely than continuous-secures to have been anxiously attached to their mothers in infancy and indeed experience high-quality maternal parenting in childhood. Such findings leave unanswered the question of why earned-secures report negative childhood…

The role played by neuroembryological forces in shaping brain development is well documented in Nowakowski's (1987) article. Additional mechanisms whereby experience may influence brain structure and function are outlined. Several routes exist by which postnatal experiential influences may produce long-term alterations in behavior and…

Critically reviews research since 1972 on maternal deprivation. Topics discussed include: the development of social relationships and the process of bonding; critical periods of development; links between childhood experiences and parenting behavior; influences on parenting; and possible reasons why so many children do not succumb to deprivation…

The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was administered to 96 expecting mothers. In a one-year followup, mothers were seen with their child in the Strange Situation procedure. Maternal representations of attachment from the AAI predicted infant-mother attachment patterns in the Strange Situation. (BC)

The concept of reproductive strategy is applied to the study of childhood experience and interpersonal development to develop an evolutionary theory of socialization. The relationship between this theory and prevailing theories of socialization is considered, and research consistent with the evolutionary theory is reviewed. Discusses directions…