This research investigates the meaning of child-father attachment where the child feels close to the father but distant from the mother. A categorical-content narrative analysis was conducted of four transcripts of interviews with women who were becoming mothers for the first time and who exhibited this pattern. The analysis suggests the…

Sir Richard Bowlby, son of John Bowlby, has carried on his father's work by lecturing and writing on the topic of attachment theory. He has initiated and maintained international connections with researchers, practitioners and agencies in the field of child development, and has produced training videos to more widely disseminate information about…

Initial validation data are presented for the Risky Situation (RS), a 20-minute observational procedure designed to assess the father-child activation relationship with children aged 12-18 months. The coding grid, which is simple and easy to use, allows parent-child dyads to be classified into three categories and provides an activation score. By…

This longitudinal study of 125 families investigated whether negative child outcomes related to fathers' frightening (FR) behaviours with infants would be mitigated if fathers were also sensitive. Results indicated that children whose fathers were frightening and insensitive with them during infancy showed the highest emotional under-regulation at…

This work aims to highlight the relevance of Stephenson's Q methodology (QM) for improving the assessment of child-father attachment relationships. We argue that reconceptualising the relationship can enhance the validity of assessment techniques and help in identifying the paternal behaviours that predict a secure child-father attachment pattern.…

This longitudinal and naturalistic study investigated fathers' and infants' emotional expressions during free infant-father "protoconversation" and the preceding/following pauses. Eleven infant-father dyads were observed during spontaneous interactions at home, from the second to the sixth month after birth. Micro-analysis of infant and paternal…

This paper provides a brief history of attachment research on fathers as a backdrop against which the other contributions to this volume can be viewed. Empirical research on child-father attachment progressed in four phases and began before Bowlby in 1969 published the first volume of his attachment trilogy. During each phase a different set of…

By law each state is required to ensure that all substantiated cases of maltreated infants and toddlers are referred to Part C early intervention services. In reality, many children may not be receiving the child development services they need. Researchers have known for some time that children who have been abused are at greater risk for…

More than a quarter of all Americans have a mental disorder at some point in their lives, according to a 2004 study by the World Health Organization. As anyone who has experienced mental illness knows, it can interfere with work, relationships, and every aspect of daily living. Children are not immune to such disorders or their effects. Research…

What happens when a defendant's guilt or innocence hinges solely on a child's testimony? Defendants argue that children's memories are too unreliable to be the basis for a verdict. Child rights advocates counter that since child sex abuse is rarely witnessed and frequently leaves no physical evidence that victim testimony is vital.…

Children with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common known inherited cause of intellectual disability, typically experience communication difficulties. Children with other intellectual disabilities such as Down syndrome also experience communication difficulties. Further, many boys with FXS (some estimates are as high as 35 percent) also are…

Inclusive settings are challenging age-old stereotypes about how children with and without disabilities interact. Peek inside a preschool inclusive classroom and one will often find typically developing children altering their games so that children with disabilities can play along. At circle time, children who need help sitting up are supported…

When it comes to people's perceptions of internet usage, stereotypes prevail. There is the assumption that people living in poverty and those with less education do not log on. It is true that their numbers are lower than those of individuals with higher education and incomes, but these statistics may not paint the whole picture. In some…

Just as exposing children to books helps develop their interest in reading; talking to children helps develop their language abilities. Research shows that from a very young age, children are influenced by the manner in which their mothers verbally interact with them. An FPG study published in the May/June 2008 issue of "The Journal of…

Search for a ball that has undergone hidden motion rapidly improves during the second year of life ("Dev. Psychol.," 2000; 36:394-401). In three experiments we investigated whether the poor performance of younger toddlers was due to attentional failure by highlighting the major cue for the hidden object. We observed only slight improvement in…