In the present study, researchers examined 112 children using a longitudinal design. The children were observed at 9, 14, 22 and 33 months in a standard laboratory. At the age of 14 months the mother-child attachment was assessed in the Strange Situation. There was a higher attachment security uniquely predicted at the age of 33 months. In the past three decades there has been broad research on the formation of infant-mother attachment stemming from the theoretical work of Thompson (1998) and strategies developed by Weinfield, Sroufe, Egeland & Carlson (1999). Researchers have attempted to explain the significance of the first relationships we form. Many have focused their attention on the social and emotional processes in developmental outcomes that represent relatively complex constructs of a secure and insecure mother child attachment.
Attachment theory emphasizes the biological function of bonds between individuals, the first being the bond between the infant and the caregiver. In this relationship, the infant desires to be physically close to the caregiver, especially if any type of danger is perceived (Sroufe, 1997). Behaviors such as crying and clinging are often directed to a specific caregiver, usually.
the mother, during the first year of life. The caregivers helped the infant manage emotional tension. Isabella (1991) believes that behaviors such as crying and signs of distress are biological propensities that promote proximity and contact with the mother figure. Isabella conducted a study on infants at the age of 3 months who experienced a sensitive harmonious interaction with caregivers. Isabella (1991) found that these infants expressed less negative and more positive emotionality by 9 months of age. The patterns of change in emotions begin between 3 and 9 months. Moreover, both Belsky and Spritz (1996) suggest that parental responsiveness to distress behaviors during the sensitive period in the first year of life determines the quality of attachment.