Children ages 30 to 34 months, assessed at 18 months for security of attachment and categorized as anxious/avoidant, anxious/resistant, or securely attached, were observed exploring with their mothers in a large-scale laboratory space. (Quality of attachment was assessed by means of Ainsworth's standard strange-situation procedure.) After learning…

An informal analysis of the concept of interpersonal commitment as it relates to parents, this study includes an examination of the characteristics of this commitment, and a consideration of possible effects of this commitment on both children and their culture. An introductory overview of the study is provided in Chapter I. In Chapter II issues…

Despite recent widespread claims about the importance of early contact for facilitating mother-infant bonding, the effects of early contact have not been convincingly demonstrated. Methodological and procedural difficulties, contributing to a "Hawthorne" effect, may account for the pattern of inconsistent and unclear findings to date.…

This paper reviews the literature on attachment, presents a study of child-teacher attachment, and discusses child-teacher attachment as a secondary relationship influenced by the prototype bonding between mother and child. The literature review traces the development of psychoanalytic thought regarding the mother-child relationship and examines…

Recent evidence indicates that subjects experience "distress" when they are beneficiaries of an inequitable distribution of rewards in a dyad. Yet, reinforcement theory postulates that individuals should experience more pleasure, the greater the reward they receive. An impression management hypothesis would reconcile these apparently opposing…

This study was designed to determine whether separation anxiety proneness in normal preschoolers is associated with distinctive ways of relating to other people. A total of 14 preschool children (6 girls and 8 boys) were rated for separation anxiety proneness by their parents prior to preschool entrance. The preschool teaching staff then rated…

This study measured infant responses to mother and stranger as a function of mother and stranger distance. A group of 10-month-old infants were pretested for level of object permanence and person permanence, and 18 males and 18 females were chosen as study participants. The infants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1)…

This study analyzes the effects of one environmental property, illumination, as part of a general program to isolate differential effects of specific properties of the novel environment on attachment behaviors in infants and young children. Attachment is operationalized into two response classes: (1) proximity to the mother, and (2) contact with…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not infants who had experienced different types of naturally-occurring, significant separations from an attachment figure during the first year of life differed in their response to separation at 12 months of age. Thirty-three 12-month-old Caucasian infants from middle class, intact families…

A treatment and enrichment program for emotionally disturbed children based on the concept of bonding is described. The program, Developmental Play, is discussed as a model for training parents and child care workers. (SE)

Fourteen fathers were observed with their children in unstructured and semistructured situations at home. Mothers and children were also observed, with and without fathers. Observations were made when the children were 15, 20, and 30 months old and assessments of the children's intellectual competence were also made at these ages. (Author/JMB)

The serial drawing technique is described and use with two cases is discussed. Paper presented at World Federation for Mental Health Congress, Vancouver, 1977. (Author)

The purpose of the paper is to: identify the major types of cohabiting relationships; specify the personal characteristics and relationship characteristics of each cohabiting relationship type; and outline potential benefits and costs to the individual in each type of cohabiting relationship. Guidelines for counseling potentially cohabiting…

Reviews the major transitional object (TO) theories in terms of origin, development, and psychological meaning. Examines the validity of TO (intense, persistent attachments young children develop for blankets, soft toys, and bits of cloth) theory in light of current empirical knowledge of TO behavior. (HOD)

Addresses several important aspects of young children's involvement with security objects, including why certain children have them, how they are used, when attachments to such objects are cause for concern, and how teachers and parents can respond in ways that promote the young child's development. (BB)