This doctoral research paper reviews the empirical literature examining intergenerational transmission of attachment styles. The relationship between adult caregivers' internal representations of attachment as measured by the Adult Attachment Interview and their infants' attachment status as measured by the Strange Situation procedure has been established across numerous studies. This paper examines the transmission gap, the means by which attachment is "passed down" from one generation to another. The paper explores maternal characteristics such as expectations about parenting; internal representations of oneself as caregiver, one's child, and their relationship; maternal sensitivity; and distress tolerance. Infant temperament is also taken into consideration. The paper further discusses environmental characteristics such as nonmaternal care, amount of physical contact with caregiver, the presence or arrival of a sibling, sleeping arrangements, and external stressors. Implications for clinical intervention with parent-infant dyads or at-risk individuals prior to the birth of an infant are then discussed. (Contains 75 references.) (KB)