Examined effects of birth of premature infant on the family system , focusing on how problems associated with premature birth place family at risk. Mothers of preterm infants felt overprotective, were unwilling to leave infants with babysitters, and perceived initial negative effect on the family. Preterm infants showed less exploratory play and…

Examines 2,000 Strange Situation classifications obtained in eight different countries. Differences and similarities between distributions in classifications of samples are investigated using correspondence analysis. Substantial intracultural differences are established; data also suggest a pattern of cross-cultural differences. (Author/RWB)

Previously published data on infants aged 12 and 13 months who were observed in the Strange Situation with their mothers and fathers were reanalyzed using a component process approach. (PCB)

The relation between resumption of full-time employment by mothers of infants, and subsequent infant-mother and infant-father attachments, was examined. No relation emerged between maternal work status and the quality of infants' attachments to their mothers. (PCB)

Discusses individual differences in attachment relationships as they relate to individual differences in mental representation, that is, in the individual's "internal working models" of attachment. Compares individual differences in security of attachment to each parent as assessed in the Ainsworth Strange Situation in infancy to diverse…

Presents two bodies of research relevant to the question of intergenerational continuity of attachment quality: studies documenting the effects of separation or disruption in the family of origin, and studies in which parents reported on their childhood attachments. Interprets this research within a theoretical perspective derived from the works…

Tested the ability of symbolic interdependence to predict breakups among 130 premarital couples in a longitudinal study. Results confirmed that couples with higher levels of symbolic interdependence were less likely to break up, and experienced greater distress if the relationship ended. Commitment, satisfaction, and geographical vicinity were…

Classifications of the quality of infant-mother and infant-father attachments were made for 59 children at 12 and 20 months of age using the Ainsworth strange situation paradigm. Stability of attachments from 12 to 20 months was examined in four groups defined by maternal employment status. (Author/RH)

Findings indicated that attachment-related affect may reflect an affect continuum that underlies certain mother- and stranger-directed behaviors in the Strange Situation. However, not all aspects of reunion behavior can be predicted by prior separation reactions. (Author/RH)

Infants whose mothers were supportive of their autonomy displayed greater task-oriented persistence and competence during play than did infants of more controlling mothers; securely attached and avoidant infants tended to exhibit greater persistence at tasks than anxious-ambivalent babies, and ambivalent babies were the most negative in affect.…

Asserts that the sensitive-period hypothesis has not been tested on three counts: (1) no systematic studies of initial mother/infant contacts exist, (2) the majority of studies confound timing and amount of contact, and (3) failure to consider underlying mechanisms results in the omission of designs and dependent measures that could address…

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)

Descriptions of the development of three families show the specific impact of pre-birth parental characteristics on the quality of the parent-infant transaction of infant soothability-responsiveness to need. As well as linking the parent's responsiveness to the infant, to the emergence and resolution of ambivalent feelings about caring for the…

Constructed a path model to examine the factors that elicit and sustain helping behavior in 148 adult children with elderly mothers. Field survey data indicated that present helping behaviors, attachment behaviors, and feelings of attachment had the strongest influence on commitment to provide future help. (JAC)

Five modes of reacting to the intimacy isolation crisis of young adulthood are described, measured and validated. Criteria for the intimacy statuses are: presence or absence of peer friendships, presence or absence of a committed relationship, and depth vs. superficiality of peer relationship. (Author/DEP)