Attachment (Ainsworth's strange situation)

Question 1

Why did Ainsworth set up the strange situation? (1971)

Answer 1

Systematically test the nature of attachment, to observe how infants cope with mild stress and also novelty.

Question 2

Secure attachment -

Answer 2

Use their caregiver as a safe base attachment. Show high stranger anxiety and separation anxiety. They also present happy reunion behaviour. Have happy, harmonious caregiver and infant interactions, they seek close bodily attention when distressed. (66%)

Question 3

Insecure-avoidant attachment -

Answer 3

Indifferent caregivers who aren’t very responsive to their needs. Infants tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others. Do not seek proximity of their caregivers due to the way caregivers act to their sensitive needs. Happy to explore with or without the presence of the caregiver. Show indifferent reunion behaviour. Low stranger and separation anxiety. (22%)

Question 4

Insecure-resistant attachment

Answer 4

Inconsistent caregiver in terms of behaving with their infant, seeks and resists social intimacy, unwilling to explore social area, high separation and stranger anxiety along with angry reunion behaviour.

Question 5

Strange situation - procedure

Answer 5

• 9x9 foot space room
• 8 episodes each highlighting a certain scenario of behaviours for example demonstrating the stranger anxiety.
  -The caregiver and stranger alternately stay or leave the infant.
  -Group of observers through a 1 way mirror
  -Every 15 seconds to observe the proximity and contact maintaining behaviours as examples.
  -106 - middle classes infants

Question 6

Strange situation - findings

Answer 6

-Combined the data over several studies and concluded.
-Noticed similarities and differences in the way infants behaved.
Found 3 main types of attachment - secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant ( the behaviour types are shown elsewhere).

Question 7

Table of results - secure attachment

Answer 7

Secure - willingness to explore - high, moderate - stranger anxiety, Separation anxiety - some were easy to soothe, enthusiastic at reunion, 66%

Question 8

Table of results - Insecure avoidant

Answer 8

Willingness to explore - High, low stranger anxiety, indifferent separation anxiety, avoids contact at reunion. 22%

Question 9

Table of results - Insecure resistant

Answer 9

Low willingness to explore, high stranger anxiety, distressed separation anxiety, seeks and rejects reunion behaviour, 12%

Question 10

Low internal validity - limitation

Answer 10

Does it actually measure the attachment type of the child or purely one single relationship, Main and Weston found difference in the behaviour depending on the caregiver they were with. This suggests the classification of the attachment type is not valid as we are measuring one attachment type and not the personal characteristic lodged into the individual, however supports Bowlby’s monotropy theory of one significant relationship being the primary cause of attachment styles.

Question 11

Observation received high reliability -

Answer 11

The measurement made by the researchers along Ainsworth were meaningful if there is agreement among observers which is determined by assessing ratings of experienced judges. finding .94 ratings between people. (1.00 is perfect), suggests the results of the SS can be classed as reliable with a lack of researcher bias.