Ainsworth's Strange Situation Flashcards
secure attachment
This is a strong, emotional bond experienced by an infant towards the caregiver. They tend to have harmonious and cooperative interactions with their caregiver. This type of attachment is characterised by a desire to remain physically close to the carer when distressed but usually the infant will use them as a secure base from which to explore. Infants show secure attachment by showing some distress when separated from the caregiver, showing pleasure and being easily soothed when reunited with them. Securely attached infants are likely to be wary of strangers. Secure attachments are thought to enable an infant to develop good relationships in later life.
insecure attachment
The emotional bond is weaker than in secure attachments and the relationship between an infant and the carer is more anxious and uncertain. Insecure attachments may result in a negative self-image and a poor inner working model of relationships. There are two main types of insecure attachment, avoidant and resistant attachments.
insecure-avoidant attachment
characterised by the avoidance of interaction and intimacy with their caregiver and other people. They are happy to explore their surroundings with or without the presence of their caregiver. Insecure-avoidant attachments are shown by little or no sign of distress when the carer leaves the infant and little show of pleasure when the carer returns (they not seek comfort from them). The infant is generally rather unresponsive to both the carer and strangers. This type of attachment is thought to develop due to the caregiver ignoring the infant and therefore the infant expects little from caregiver and becomes an independent, self-reliant individual (in a negative way!).
insecure-resistant attachment
demonstrated by both seeking and resisting interaction and intimacy with their caregiver. Infants with an insecure-resistant attachment show extreme and immediate distress when the carer leaves them alone and when they are with a stranger. When reunited with their caregiver they demonstrate a conflicting desire for and anger toward being comforted when the carer returns (e.g. angrily resist being picked up but maintain proximity and need soothing). This type of attachment is thought to develop due to an inconsistent caregiver; the infant is therefore unsure whether or not the caregiver will respond to their needs.
ainsworths strange situation
Aim – Mary Ainsworth investigated differences in types of attachment by putting babies under conditions of mild stress in an unfamiliar setting known as The Strange Situation
.
Procedure – About 100 middle class American mothers and their babies took
part in a controlled observation. Each infant was observed with its mother in a specially arranged room with play materials as a series of prearranged activities took place.
The infant’s responses to the following were noted by the observers;
o A stranger entering the room (response to stranger)
o The mother leaving the child alone and with the stranger (separation anxiety) o The mother returning to the room (reunion)
Findings – From the observations of the infants’ responses, their attachments were classified into 3 types.
66% secure
22% insecure-avoidant
12% insecure-resistant
Conclusions –
o There are individual differences in the types of attachment that infants form
o The majority of American children are securely attached
o The mother’s behaviour is important in the type of attachment that the baby forms
Evaluation of Ainsworths findings and conclusions, strength
A strength of Ainsworth’s research is that the research has high inter-observer reliability. In observational studies such as this one, inter-observer reliability can be assessed by comparing the ratings made by different observers. Ainsworth found very high levels of agreement between observers in her research. This is a strength because conclusions drawn from the observations can be accepted as being consistent.
Another strength is that the research offers important practical applications. In situations where insecure attachments begin to form between infants and their caregivers, appropriate interventions can be put in place. For example, the Circle of Security Project teaches parents how to better understand their child’s needs. This is a strength because the research in this area can be used to improve children’s lives and futures.
Evaluation of Ainsworths findings and conclusions, challenges
However, there is evidence that challenges Ainsworth’s research.
Later studies of attachment using the Strange Situation suggested that another type of attachment may have been overlooked. Main
& Weston found a fourth group of infants with an insecure-disorganised attachment. These infants lack any consistent pattern of attachment behaviour. This is a weakness because it reduces the confidence we can have in Ainsworth’s original findings, suggesting that her findings might lack validity, as they did not fully explain what she had set out to explain.
Evaluation of the Strange Situation as a research tool, criticism
A criticism is that the Strange Situation may have lacked validity (it may not have tested what it set out to test) for the following reasons:
* Using an overt observation may have influenced the mothers’ behaviour. The mothers in the study were aware that they were
being observed and that their interactions were being judged by experts. This could affect the way that they interact with their
child, for example, they may have been more attentive/ sensitive in an attempt to appear to be a ‘good mother’. This would, in turn, affect the child’s behaviour too. This is a weakness because the categorisation of their attachment type may not be accurate.
- Another reason that the Strange Situation may have lacked validity is because it was such an artificial setting. The observations were made in a laboratory setting and the infant was put under artificial stressful situations. This means that the findings may not be generalised to other, perhaps more real life settings. As a result, this study may be argued to lack ecological validity.
- Another reason that the Strange Situation may have lacked validity is because it was only originally conducted on American infants. As such the classifications may only be relevant to
this particular group and cannot be generalised to wider populations. As a result, this study
may be argued to lack population validity (another term for generalisability)
Evaluation of the Strange Situation as a research tool, strength
A strength is that research using the Strange Situation has led to further research into attachment. Mary Ainsworth created a tool that can be used to measure attachment types in other research, not just her own. The Strange Situation has been used in numerous studies around the world and is still used today. This is a strength because it has allowed psychologists to further their understanding of this important developmental stage.
