Includes bibliographical references.

Abstract -- ch. 1. Introduction and literature review-- ch. 2 Study 1 : Child responses to interparental conflict : comparing the relative roles of emotional security and social learning processes -- ch. 3. Study 2 : Relations between interparental conflict, child emotional security, and adjustment in the context of cognitive appraisals -- ch. 4. Study 3 : Parental conflict and child emotional security in the family system -- ch. 5. Study 4 : Family characteristics as potentiating and protective factors in the association between parental conflict and child functioning -- ch. 6. Conclusions, implications, and future directions -- References -- Acknowledgements -- Commentary. Mechanisms in the development of emotional organization / Jennifer M. Jenkins.