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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
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Attachment theory: progress and future directions.

R M Pasco Fearon1, Glenn I Roisman2

  • 1Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

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|August 17, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Attachment research explores how early parent-child relationships influence development. This overview covers environmental roles, intergenerational patterns, long-term stability, and links to adjustment, highlighting future research needs.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Parenting Research

Background:

  • Attachment is a crucial concept in understanding parent-child dynamics.
  • Research in this field focuses on infant and early childhood attachment patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a state-of-the-art overview of attachment research.
  • To synthesize key findings on the nature and significance of attachment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on attachment.
  • Focus on four major topics: environmental influence, intergenerational transmission, stability, and adjustment.

Main Results:

  • Attachment patterns are shaped by the environment.
  • Attachment styles can transmit across generations.
  • Attachment shows stability into early adulthood.
  • Attachment plays a role in psychological adjustment and maladjustment.

Conclusions:

  • Attachment research is a dynamic field with significant implications.
  • Identified critical unresolved issues and outlined priorities for future research.