Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

Question 1

AO1 aim , method

Answer 1

• Method was divided to try to measure different attachment styles
• Overt observation, multiple observers, 3 behavioural focuses: separation anxiety, stranger anxiety and reunion behaviour.
• Procedure had 8 episodes which each lasted 3 min
  mum and child in room ready to play, parent sits child plays (will child explore?), stranger enters (measures stranger anxiety), parent leaves (measures separation anxiety), parents returns and stranger leaves (reunion behaviour), mother leaves, stranger reruns and offers comfort, mother returns

Question 2

AO1 results

Answer 2

• the results showed 3 attachment types
• Type A insecure avoidant (no reaction to stranger, separation or reunion) independent baby, often seen in individualistic cultures
• Type B secure (moderate distress and separation and stranger) most common
• Type C Insecure resistant (shows extreme separation and stranger anxiety, seek and reject comfort in reunion ((cause angry))) often seen in collectivist cultures

Question 3

AO3 internal validity

Answer 3

• Participant knew they were being observed; mum could have displayed demand characteristics for social desirability/show the researchers what they want to see
• Mum acting differently could lead to baby acting differently
• Baby could also see cameras and new environment as and respond in the way they do because of the unfamiliarity opposed to the 8 episodes
  Means low internal validity as unsure baby’s reactions are down to the conditions

Question 4

AO3 generalizability

Answer 4

• Study done in Britain and USA both of which are individualist western cultures
• Takahski (1990) looked at a Japanese babies who displayed very high levels of distress at separation, so a disproportionate number of babies were classified as insecure resistant
• Suggested this was because in Japan mother-baby separation is very rare
  Suggests attachment styles are culturally different; can the stranger situation be generalised outside western cultures?

Question 5

AO3 high reliability

Answer 5

• Used multiple high trained observers
• Means High inter observer reliability, as observers can compare results with each other and check for consistency
• Got 0.94 inter observer reliability, shows findings are reliable and accurate