Problem: How can I make notes with bullet points in this paragraph? Attachment or parenting: which is critical for later development? It is clear that attachment quality is an important predictor and precursor of later cognitive, social, and emotional development. However, are the effects on later development due to the attachment relationship itself or to the care and family circumstances that support it? A number of explanations for the link between attachment quality and later development have been offered (Lewis, 1999; Lewis et al., 2000). First, an "extreme early effects" explanation suggests that early attachment protects children from later traumas and experiences. Second, a "mediating experiences" explanation suggests that continuity across time is due to the stability of parents' behavior and environmental conditions rather than the nature of earlier attachment patterns. Children who are securely attached at 12 months are likely to be receiving sensitive, responsive mothering at that age and to continue to receive this kind of mothering as they mature. Their mothers are likely to respect their autonomy and support their efforts to cope independently with new experiences while standing ready to give direct help when needed. Therefore, the well-adjusted social behavior of these children at later ages might reflect the current healthy state of their relationship with their parents rather than being an outcome of the relationship that existed years earlier. Need Assignment Help?