The quality of attachment in childhood and maternal sensivity: from a microsocial perspectiva

Abstract

Research in the area of early mother-child iinteraction and the development of attachment, points to the importance of advancing the study of the maternal sensitivity construct. In this paper we describe the process followed to operacionalise and analyze “maternal sensitivity” using microsocial approach. This approach can reveal empirical sequential patterns in the  interactional dyadic context that cannot be captured with rating scales. To describe the  research process used, this paper presents: the CITMI-R (Códigos de Interaccion Temprana Materno-Infantil, Early Mother –Child Interaction Codes) coding system and its developments, some relevant findings using sequential analyses in real time and, finally, an exercise of  generating hypothesis using the interactional information sequentially coded.

Finally, we point out that the field is movinginto a new era in terms of analyses of the maternal sensitivity construct. This will bring important advances with theoretical and practical implications.