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)

The extent and function of the parent-child bond, conceptualized according to Ainsworth's model of attachment, was explored for 173 first-year college students. Students' description of their parental relationships resembled Ainsworth's secure attachment type. Most students viewed their parents as a secure, encouraging, and available source of…

Examines the relationships among different dimensions of empathy, communication, and prosocial behavior. Supports an altruistic interpretation of prosocial behavior and suggests that the egoistic model be reformulated. (JK)

Examined extent to which infant-mother attachment could be predicted by mother interactional variables and infant proneness to distress. Meta-analysis indicated that sensitive, responsive maternal interaction predicted the security of attachment in Ainsworth and Wittig's "strange situation." Proneness to distress, a temperamental variable,…

Considers Blos' conceptualization of adolescence as the stage when a second process of separation-individuation takes place. Notes various handicapping conditions may force adolescent to stay closer to family and hence interfere with adolescent's separation-individuation. Suggests that nature of interference will vary depending on whether the…

A study identified the antecedent characteristics of child and family best predicting behavioral/emotional problems at three years of age. Considered were the relationship of the index of attachment security to several mother-child relationship measures and to other child characteristics, such as difficult temperament and sociability. (Author/NH)

Distress in response to brief maternal separations was examined in a sample of 93 predominantly home-reared infants using the Ainsworth strange situation paradigm. At 18 months, the age when separation protests begin to decline, securely attached infants are better able than anxiously attached infants to tolerate maternal separations. (Author/RH)

Aim of this study was to obtain direct observations of attachment and exploration behaviors exhibited in a strange situation by children with Down's syndrome and a control group of normal children. (JH)

In a study of self-reports from 111 adults enrolled in education classes at seven adult education centers, peer relations, positive and negative affect, and curiosity and perception of learning improvement each uniquely predicted secure attachment among the participants. After controlling for age, sex, and income, the hierarchical logistical…