INTRODUCTION - MATERNAL SENSITIVITY - INDIVIDUAL, CONTEXTUAL AND CULTURAL-FACTORS IN RECENT CONCEPTUALIZATIONS

Over the past three decades, numerous investigators have stressed the importance of maternal sensitivity in children's social and cognitive development. The various contributors to this thematic issue take diff erent yet complementary approaches to the definition of early maternal sensitivity, focusing on mothers' responsiveness, joint topic focus w ith child, affect, involvement and structuring of the physical and soc ial environments of the child. The populations represented in these wr itings are diverse, including middle-class and poorer families, childr en with and without special needs and families from a range of cultura l groups. Individual and contextual factors are discussed as influenci ng the expression of maternal sensitivity and as both mediating and mo derating relations between maternal sensitivity and diverse child outc omes. Together, this collection of writings underscores the multidimen sional character of maternal sensitivity, the specialized nature of it s influence and the relevance of studying maternal sensitivity within a comprehensive ecological framework. (C)1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Lt d.