But the subsample using harsh touch was
so small that generalizability of their results is extremely limited. The overall frequency of
maternal touch appears to have no link to the ultimate quality of a child’s attachment, even
when the mother shows a high degree of sensitivity in her caregiving. In fact, maternal
sensitivity toward the infant at three months of age appeared to have no relationship to later
attachment in this sample of low birth weight children, neither a direct association nor a
modifying effect on the relationship between maternal touch and attachment.