Ainsworth’s crucial proposition in attachment theory is that day-to-day care provided by the mother, and particularly the sensitivity of that care, is of critical importance to the development of secure attachment and a balanced regulation of (negative) emotions. In several correlational as well as experimental studies and in meta-analyses this core hypothesis of attachment theory has been substantiated (De Wolff & Van IJzendoorn, 1997; Bakermans-Kranenburg et al., 2003).

In our research programme, we hypothesize that short-term behaviourally focused interventions based on video-feedback may be most effective in enhancing not only parental sensitivity but also children’s attachment security and emotion regulation. We have tested this approach, which is called Video-feedback to Promote Positive Parenting (VIPP), in various empirical studies (see for a handbook on VIPP: Juffer et al., 2007), and plan to apply this intervention in various target populations, including children from ethnic minorities, child care centers, children at risk for externalizing behavior problems, maltreated children, and children with autism and related disorders.