3.4: Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'

Question 1

Outline how Ainsworth studied types of attachment (3 marks)

Answer 1

The child was placed in a strange situation.
The child’s behaviour was observed under controlled conditions and the child’s movements were recorded when the mother and stranger are present

Question 2

By observing interactions between the infants and their mothers in a Strange Situation, Mary Ainsworth was able to identify different types of attachment.
Describe possible demand characteristics in this research (3 marks)

Answer 2

Infants would be too young to respond to demand characteristics.
However, the mothers’ behaviour may change.
The mothers try to guess what the psychologist is looking at, so they may be more attentive to their babies than when they are not taking part in this research