Attachment- Types of attachment

Question 1

What was the aim of Ainsworth’s study?

Answer 1

-to measure the quality of a child attachment to their parent

Question 2

What was the procedure of Ainsworths study?

Answer 2

• 9-18 month old infants
  -Strange Situation
  -two way mirror
  -multiple observers
  -time sampling every 15 seconds
  -scores the intensity of the behaviour on a scale from 1-7
  Episodes:
  -parent plays with child= secure base + proximity seeking
  -stranger enters whilst parent is still around= stranger anxiety
  -parent leaves child with stranger = separation + stranger anxiety
  -parent renters and stranger leaves= reunion
  -parent leaves= separation anxiety
  -stranger enters= stranger anxiety
  -parent returns= reunion

Question 3

What are the 3 types of attachment and their characteristics?

Answer 3

1. Secure: explores happily but parent acts as a secure base, moderate stranger and separation anxiety, easily comforted by parent upon reunion
2. Insecure- resistant: does not explore and keeps close to parent, extreme stranger and separation anxiety, resists comfort during the reunion
3. Insecure-avoidant: explores w/o secure base, not bothered by separation or stranger, doesn’t need comfort after

Question 4

What is a strength of ss?

Answer 4

P:A strength of the ss is that it has high inter-rater reliability
E: For example, there was multiple observes for one child who would agree on the attachment style. Bick et al found that there was 94% agreement on one team. This could be due to the use of controlled conditions or objective behavioural categories.
E: This is a strength as the identification of the attachment in ss does not rely on just one person but depends on a group. Hence it has less researcher bias

Question 5

What is a second strength?

Answer 5

P:Another strength of ss is that there is a high predictive validity. Attachment types can be sued to predict further development
E: For example, secure babies typically have greater success at school and more lasting romantic relationships. In contrast, insecure-resistant attachments are associated with worse outcomes e.g bullying or mental health problems
E: This is a strength because it us evidence for the validity of the concept as it can explain future outcomes

Question 6

What is a limitation of ss?

Answer 6

P: A limitation of the SS is that it may be culturally bound
E:For example, the SS was designed by an American according to observations of children in the US. Consequently the attachment classifications are based on US values and child-rearing techniques. There are, however, differences between cultures in child-parent behaviour
E:This is a weakness because it decreases the validity of the ss as a universal measure of attachment, it only reflects the cultural norms of the USA.

Question 7

What is a second limitation?

Answer 7

P:A final limitaion of the ss is that a child’s temperment may be a confounding variable
E: For example, Ainsworth assumed that the main influence on separation and stranger anxiety was the quality of attachment. However, an alternative explanation is that the child’s temperament is a more important factor influencing behaviour in the ss
E:This is a weakness because it challenges the validity of the ss in its intention to measure the quality of attachments. It may not be measuring what it intended to.