Do fathers matter? In search of causes and consequences of parental sensitivity

Abstract

Sensitivity is defined as the ability to accurately perceive and to interpret the signals implicit in the child’s behavior and to respond to them promptly and appropriately (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Mary Ainsworth was the first researcher to define the concept of sensitivity along these lines. She carefully observed parental caregiving behavior and children’s behaviors such as crying and exploration. Most importantly, she developed scales to rate caregiving behavior from detailed observations within families in naturalistic settings. Later, structured play tasks were developed which are now a frequently used method in observing parent-child interaction (Joosen, Mesman, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Van IJzendoorn, 2012). Parents generally receive instructions to play with their child with or without toys for a duration ranging from 5 to 15 minutes. This method provokes interaction between parent and child and therefore assures the observation of interaction without the time investment of longer naturalistic observations.