There has been increasing scholarly attention to the study of maternal sensitivity as a multidimensional construct. This report investigated the predictive value of three dimensions of sensitivity during mother–infant interactions in an effort to gain greater understanding of how specific facets of sensitivity relate to child socioemotional outcomes. Maternal cooperation/attunement (accurate interpretation of infant cues and capacity to adjust the interaction correspondingly), positivity (positive attitude toward the infant), and accessibility/availability (consistent attentiveness) were assessed observationally in 195 mothers of 1‐year‐old infants. Child socioemotional functioning was assessed using behavioral tasks and maternal and teacher reports when children were 4 years of age. The results revealed that maternal accessibility/availability was predictive of less externalizing behavior, more prosocial behavior (mother‐ and teacher‐reported), and better theory of mind, while maternal positivity predicted effortful control. These results highlight the advantages of a multidimensional assessment in understanding how sensitivity predicts different developmental outcomes.

中文翻译：

---

母亲敏感性的多维性质的进一步证据：与学龄前儿童社会情绪功能的不同联系

越来越多的学术关注将母性敏感性作为一个多维结构进行研究。本报告调查了母婴互动过程中敏感性三个维度的预测价值，以期更好地了解敏感性的特定方面如何与儿童社会情绪结果相关。在 195 名 1 岁婴儿的母亲中观察性地评估了母亲的合作/协调（准确解释婴儿线索和相应调整互动的能力）、积极性（对婴儿的积极态度）和可及性/可用性（一致的注意力）。当儿童 4 岁时，使用行为任务和母亲和教师的报告来评估儿童的社会情绪功能。结果表明，母亲的可及性/可用性预示着较少的外化行为、更多的亲社会行为（母亲和教师报告）和更好的心理理论，而母亲的积极性预示着努力控制。这些结果突出了多维评估在理解敏感性如何预测不同发展结果方面的优势。