ainsworth’s strange situation AO3

Question 1

evaluation of the strange situation - good reliability (strength)

Answer 1

• is good inter-rather reliability (agreement between different observers).
• bick et al tested inter-rater reliaiblity for the strange situation for a team of trained observers and found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases.
• this high level of reliability may be because the procedure takes place under controlled conditions and because behaviours (such as proximity-seeking and stranger anxiety) involve large movements and are therefore easy to observe. for example, anxious babies cry and crawl away from strangers.
• this means that we can be confident that attachment type as assessed by the strange situation does not depend on subjective judgments.

Question 2

evaluation of the strange situation - good predictive validity (strength)

Answer 2

• its outcome predicts a number of aspects of the baby’s later development.
• a large body of research has shown that babies assessed as secure tend to have better outcomes than others, both in later childhood and in adulthood.
• in childhood this includes better achievement in school and less involvement in bullying (mccormick et al 2016, kokkinose 2007).
• this suggests that the strange situation measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s development.

Question 3

evaluation of the strange situation - good predictive validity (COUNTERPOINT)

Answer 3

• the strange situation clearly measures something important that is associated with later development.
• however, not all psychologists believe this something is attachment. for example, kagan suggested that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behaviour in the strange situation and later development.
• this means that the strange situation may not actually measure attachme