The process by which parents become attached to their infants was the focus of a roundtable discussion. Participating were students of the attachment process in various animal species, as well as clinicians and researchers, from various disciplines, engaged in studying the development of attachment in parents of normal infants, parents of premature or sick infants, and parents of battered or failure-to-thrive infants. The discussion is reported in three parts. First examined are disorders of attachment, featuring problems of failure-to-thrive and child abuse/neglect as they affect infants and their parents; attention is given to disruptive mechanisms resulting in abnormalities. Delineated in the second part are aspects of the process of attachment; parallels in behavior patterns of humans and animals are reviewed, and parent/child interaction as a developmental force is discussed. The role of the father is additionally described, with emphasis given to the ways the father can play a very useful part by interacting with infant and mother. Stressing various parent-visiting practices prevalent in intensive care nurseries in the United States, the discussion in the third part explores problems of attachment. It is emphasized that mothers of premature infants should be permitted to have early physical contact with their infants in order to establish early mother/infant bonding. (RH)