We examined the prototype v. revisionist models of attachment stability with a five-wave, 6-year, longitudinal study of attachment security from middle childhood to adolescence in a White Western European sample (N = 157; Wave 1 M[subscript age] = 10.91, SD = 0.87; 52% female). Attachment was assessed using both questionnaire (Experiences in Close…

This longitudinal investigation of 84 infants examined whether the effect of 12-month attachment on 18- and 24-month exploration and sociability with unfamiliar adults varied as a function of newborn irritability. As expected, results revealed an interaction between attachment (secure vs. insecure) and irritability (highly irritable vs. moderately…

Parents' physiological regulation may support infants' regulation. Mothers (N=152) and 6-month-old male and female infants were observed in normal and disrupted social interaction. Affect was coded at 1-s intervals and vagal tone measured as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Maternal sensitivity was assessed in free play. Mothers and infants…

Discusses the conflict between situational influences and stable individual differences in attachment behavior and attempts to resolve this conflict by examining the functions, outcomes, and context sensitivity of attachment behavior and the underlying behavioral control systems that organize it. (JMB)

Presents meta-analysis evidence of the association between paternal sensitivity and infant-father attachment from eight studies with 546 families (combined effect size r = 0.13). A meta-analysis of 950 families from 14 studies found an overall correlation of 0.17 between infant-mother and infant-father attachment. Presents a data-based model of…

The stability of adult attachment and transmission of attachment across 3 generations were examined in a longitudinal study of 96 infants, their mothers, and maternal grandmothers. The study found that mothers' Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) classifications were stable over 12 months in 90% of mothers and 73% of grandmothers, using the AAI's…

Temperament and attachment, as defined by Bowlby and his followers, are fundamentally different constructs, and research guided by the attachment perspective cannot meaningfully be assimilated to the temperament construct. Qualitative aspects of relationships simply cannot be reduced to individual behavioral dimensions. (RH)

A model of infant social behavior is developed which incorporates attachment to the familiar and fear of strangers as well as detachment from the familiar and exploration of the stranger. (JMB)

Maintains that it is important to distinguish theory testing from effect-size evaluation when considering the impact of mothering on attachment security. Contends that it is possible that the De Wolff and van IJzendoorn meta-analysis both over- and underestimates mothering effects, as would be the case if infants varied in their susceptibility to…

Explored the antecedents of the ambivalent attachment pattern in Israeli infants. Found that mothers of ambivalent infants showed lower education level, higher separation anxiety, and higher parenting stress than mothers of secure infants. Infants' perceived difficult temperament did not discriminate between the two groups. Longer maternal work…

Explored the antecedents and consequences of attachment disorganization among 157 participants in a prospective longitudinal study from 24 months to 19 years. Found that infant history of attachment disorganization was correlated with consequent variables related to: mother-child relationship quality at 24 and 42 months; child behavior problems in…

Argues that although meta-analysis makes an important contribution to summarizing attachment studies, it limits the conceptual understanding to simple causal models and ignores family systems models that could illuminate the development of secure and insecure attachment. Maintains that fathers' role in attachment and the impact of the quality of…

Compares paths of development in Japan (symbiotic harmony) and the United States (generative tension) of parent-child and adult mate relationships, challenging assumptions that certain processes are central in all relationships or that U.S. relationships are less valued or weaker than Japan's. Suggests need to investigate processes underlying, and…

Evaluates what has been learned regarding the impact of early close relationships on psychological development, by examining the origins of continuity and change in attachment security and its prediction of later behavior. Evaluates research on impact of changing family circumstances and quality of care on attachment security. Offers 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…