Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction: The role of caregiving in the development of children
- Methodology for the review
- The caregiver

Chapter 2. Historical background: The importance of stable, loving care for young children
- WHO and the work of John Bowlby
- The effects of separation from a familiar caregiver on the health and development of children

Chapter 3. Advances in child development theory and research: Perspectives from psychology, linguistics, neurobiology, and evolutionary theory
- Contemporary psychological theories of how children develop
- Psychoanalytic theory, particularly Object Relations Theory
- Lev Vygotsky and social mediation
- Developmental psycholinguistics
- Developmental psychology
- Empirical findings regarding the perceptual and learning capacities of infants
- Recent advances in understanding the neurobiology of early experience
- Phylogenetic perspectives on human capacities for social and cultural communication and cooperation

Chapter 4. The nature of caregiver-child relationships: Attachment, development and cultural adaptation
- Attachment theory
- Developmental changes in caregiver-child relationships
- Features of supportive and facilitative caregiver-child interactions
- Mutuality, synchronicity, emotional availability, and social referencing
- Sensitivity
- Responsiveness
- Applicability of caregiver-child dimensions across cultures
- Models of caregiving and parenting

Chapter 5. The impact of caregiver-child interactions on the development and health of children
- Child development outcomes
- Follow-up studies from early interactions
- Psychopathology and child abuse
- Institutional care
- Child health outcomes
- Prematurity and low birth weight
- Growth and failure to thrive
- Malnutrition

Chapter 6. Social and personal determinants of the quality of caregiver-child interactions
- Socio-economic conditions
- Child characteristics
- Caregiver characteristics

Chapter 7. Improving caregiver-child interactions: Implications for intervention