While associations with deviant peers are well understood to impact individual development, less is understood about the relationship between friendship quality and delinquency. Two criminological theories--social control theory and self-control theory--are able to offer an explanation for the latter relationship. Social control and self-control…

Attempts to clarify and empirically examine the role played by a toddler's self-comforting skill in facilitating the separation-individuation process. Study did support the prediction that the mother's fostering of independence would predict secure attachment. The effects of mothers' style of comforting were also examined. (Author/RWB)

This study tested the hypothesis that social competence of mother-infant play reflects both secure mother-infant attachment and more advanced cognitive development. Subjects were 58 toddlers between 16 and 19 months of age and their mothers. Two general methods were used: observation and maternal report. Standardized developmental assessments were…

Adolescents and young adults (three age groups: 12-15, 16-19, and 20-28 years) reported their use of parents, and peers to fulfill attachment functions (proximity-seeking, safe haven, and secure base.) The use of each target figure varied with age and attachment function. Mothers were an important source of security across this age range. They…

Assessed the relationship of attachment status to autobiographical memory in preschoolers. Found that mother-child dyads with insecurely attached daughters engaged in relatively more negative memory talk than those with securely attached daughters. Secure-daughter dyads elaborated more on emotional themes than insecure-daughter dyads. Relations…

Examined predictive relations between infant assessments and behavior problems at age 7 in a low-income sample. Found that disorganized infant attachment behavior and below average mental development at 18 months were associated with externalizing behavior at 7 years. Avoidant infant attachment behavior was associated with later internalizing…

Infants' orienting of attention undergoes marked development in the first six months of life. Changes in attentional control appear to be related to infants' susceptibility to distress. (Author)

Provided in this annual report, the 10th of a series, are the texts of four papers presented at a preconference workshop on new directions for infancy research. The papers focus on the middle European contribution to infancy research, main themes in European research on infant perception and cognition, an innovative therapeutic approach to…

Infants of depressed mothers who were visited at home outperformed infants of depressed mothers who received no intervention services by an average of 10 points on the Bayley Mental Scale and were twice as likely to be classified as securely attached. Unserved, high-risk infants showed a high rate of insecure-disorganized attachments. (RH)

Examined developmental differences in parental availability and child dependency in late childhood and early adolescence and their association with peer relations. Found that children's perceptions of mother's availability and boys' perceptions of father's availability did not change with age. Dependency decreased with age. Positive friendship…

This study examined the relationship between varying patterns of maternal employment, the use of child care, and the infant's establishment of a reciprocal, responsive relationship with the mother. Parental and non-parental caregivers were located within a family system to examine attachment theory within an ecological framework. The subjects were…

Recent research on early brain development holds several implications for parents, teachers, health professionals, and policymakers. This report, based on the proceedings from a 1996 national conference on the importance of early brain development for the nation's future well-being, highlights major findings, summarizes their implications for…