Ainsworth's Strange Situation

Question 1

What is the Strange Situation?

Answer 1

A systermatic way to test the nature of attachment between infant and caregiver

Question 2

7 stages of the Strange Situation

Answer 2

1. Infant and caregiver play
2. Stranger enters
3. Caregiver leaves
4. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves
5. Caregiver leaves
6. Stranger returns
7. Caregiver returns

Question 3

4 types of behaviours the Strange Situation tests

Answer 3

Separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, secure-base behaviour and reunion behaviour

Question 4

Which behaviour is teste when caregiver and infant are playing together?

Answer 4

Secure-base behaviour

Question 5

Three types of attachment Ainsworth found

Answer 5

Secure, insecure-resistant and insecure-avoidant

Question 6

What is a secure attachment?

Answer 6

• shows secure-base behaviour
• moderate levels of separation and stranger anxiety
• easily comforted when mother returns

Question 7

What is an insecure-resistant attachment?

Answer 7

• not confident to explore and clings to mother
• extreme levels of separation and stranger anxiety
• reunion behaviour - seeks mother and rejects her eg. pushes her away

Question 8

What is an insecure-avoidant attachment?

Answer 8

• does not use mother as a secure base and comfortable to explore
• low levels of separation and stranger anxiety
• shows little interest when mother returns

Question 9

Describe the findings of the Strange Situation

Answer 9

Secure = 60-75%
Insecure-resistant = 3%
Insecure-avoidant = 20-25%

Question 10

Strength - inter-observer reliability

Answer 10

• different observers agree on attachment type
• Bick et al. (2012) - found agreement from trained Strange Situation observers on 94% of tested babies

Question 11

Strength - real-world application

Answer 11

Cooper et al. (2005) - The Circle of Security Project teaches caregivers to better understand their infants’ signals of distress
- higher levels of infants classed as securely attached

Question 12

Limitation - more than 3 types of attachment

Answer 12

• disorganised attachment - mixtutre of insecure avoidant and resistant
• Van Izjendoorn et al. (1999) - meta-analysis 15% of children fell into this category

Question 13

Limitation - culture-bound

Answer 13

• designed by a western woman, based on western ideals that see secure attachment as ideal
• Germany has more insecure avoidant children as they are more likely to raise indpenedent children

Question 14

Limitation - ethical issues

Answer 14

• infants are put under deliberate stress in the form of separation and stranger anxiety
• c: Ainsworth justified it by saying they face anxiety anyways