The focus of this chapter is continuity and change in attachment representations in a sample at risk because of early poverty. Its particular emphasis is adolescence and reasons that adolescence may be a period of attachment security change in the at-risk population. The authors begin with an overview of key issues in adolescent attachment,…

The internal working model of attachment can be conceptualized as a cognitive schema to provide testable hypotheses. Thus, this study predicts a relationship between attachment and attentional bias toward the mother using an emotional modification of the exogenous cueing task. The content of the cues (mother vs. unknown women) and the duration of…

Introduced by Jonathan Bowlby in the early 1960s, attachment theory seeks to explain an individual's depth of bonding with others throughout one's life. Attachment styles can affect family life, life interactions, career choices, friendships, relationships, marriage, and parenting (Turner, 2005). Attachment theory is composed of four different…

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the distinct developmental experiences associated with child sexual abuse and rape. Method: For 269 sexual offenders (137 rapists and 132 child sexual abusers), developmental experiences were recorded from a behavioral checklist, a parental-bonding survey, and a sexual history questionnaire. Offender…

The Gentle Approach is a method for lifting infants younger than 6 months that promotes security and reassurance during adult-imposed changes in position. Developed at the Emmi Pilker National Methodological Institute for Residential Nurseries in Budapest, Hungary, the approach provides continual support and less opportunity for unprotected…

This study was an initial exploration of the relationship between coordinated interpersonal timing and quality of mother-toddler attachment. Eleven primiparous white, middle class mothers and their children (8 males, 3 females) participated. Mothers averaged 32 years of age and toddlers averaged 18.10 months. A prerecorded dyadic free-play session…

This study investigated whether behavioral inhibition is best conceptualized as a continuous variable or as a distinct typology with two or more subcategories. The following data were gathered on 58 infants at 5, 7, 10, and 13 months of age; physiological functioning (cardiovascular activity and salivary cortisol); emotional expressivity in…

This study examined the relationships of early and current attachment styles to the coping strategies late adolescents employ when faced with problems and to the attributions they make concerning their successes and failures. Subjects were 157 late adolescents, ages 18 to 22, taken from an ethnically diverse sample of university students. Subjects…

This bibliography focuses on the impact of caregiver-infant interaction as a basis for child development. The bibliography is divided into five sections: (1) factors which influence the quality of interactions, (2) components of parent-child interactions, (3) comparison of interaction patterns of children with normal and delayed development, (4)…

Customarily, several parent figures rear black infants. The effects of this practice on infant-parent attachments have not been studied even though they provide the chance to test the attachment theory contention that infants form a primary attachment when several attachment figures are available. To study this issue, 21 male and 16 female black…

These "letters for parents" offer information about becoming a parent and the characteristics of preschool children. The first letter focuses on the transition to parenthood, bonding and attachment, and the infant's temperament. The second letter describes 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds and offers advice about practicing safety. (RH)

This document consists of a compilation of three separate 4-page brochures by the same authors: (1) understanding babies and toddlers; (2) understanding three to six-year olds; (3) disciplining preschoolers. The first brochure covers bonding and attachment, infant temperament, patterns of growth, and the characteristics of children during the…

The applicability of the Strange Situation procedure and the ABC typology for Japanese infants is discussed by examining data from studies in which the Strange Situation procedure was performed with Japanese infants. Findings of a study conducted in Sapporo, Japan, are discussed and their implications are pointed out. The discussion concludes that…

This presentation describes young children's social development, beginning with infancy and spanning the early childhood years. Topics include: (1) attachment when the infant is very young; (2) a social-learning theory view of the early months of life; (3) the onset of prosocial behavior and responsibility; and (4) competence in the early…