SENSITIVITY AND SECURITY - NEW QUESTIONS TO PONDER

The conclusion that parental sensitivity is a reliable-but not highly robust-predictor of a secure attachment invites reconsideration of the nature of sensitivity and its impact on early psychosocial developmen t. Future directions for inquiry include (1) renewed attention to the growth of attachment in the context of other developing features of th e parent-infant relationship, including play and behavioral management ; (2) the factors that moderate the impact of sensitivity on developin g security (including the contexts of sensitive responsiveness, infant age, and the consistency of parental sensitivity over time); (3) the multifaceted and dyanamic origins of individual differences in sensiti vity; and (4) greater consideration of why sensitivity fosters attachm ent security, especially in relation to emergent working models of rel ationships and self.