Lesson 4 Types Of Attachment

Question 1

Strange Situation

Answer 1

This was the methodology used by Ainsworth et al. (1970) to investigate differences in attachments between infants and their caregivers. It was a controlled observation which took place in a room that had been furnished with some toys.

The investigators observed the infants in a series of three-minute episodes;

• mother and baby,
• stranger enters,
• mother leaves,
• mother returns, etc.

They recorded an infant’s proximity seeking, stranger anxiety, separation
protest and reunion joy.

Question 2

3 types of babies

Answer 2

Type A - Insecure-Avoidant
Type B - Secure Attachment
Type C - Insecure-Resistant

Question 3

Type A - Insecure-Avoidant

Answer 3

20% of babies had attachments that were classified as insecure-avoidant.

Babies with this attachment style will largely ignore their caregiver and play independently while they explore the room. They show no signs of distress when the caregiver is absent (no separation protest) and continue to ignore them when they return (no reunion joy). The baby is distressed when left completely alone but is comforted by the stranger as easily as their caregiver (no stranger anxiety). The caregiver and the stranger are treated in much the same way.

Question 4

Type B - Secure Attachment

Answer 4

70% of babies were described as securely attached.

Securely attached babies play happily while the caregiver is present and use them as a safe base while they explore the room and play with the toys. The baby is clearly distressed when the caregiver leaves (separation protest), even if they are not left completely alone, and seeks immediate contact with their caregiver when they return (reunion joy). Their caregiver easily comforts them. The baby is wary of the stranger (stranger anxiety) but accepts some comfort from them when the caregiver is absent

Question 5

Type C - Insecure-Resistant

Answer 5

10% of babies were put in the insecure-resistant category.

Babies who have an insecure-resistant attachment to their caregivers are fussy and cry more than other babies. They will not explore the room or play with the toys very much, instead they are clingy. The baby is distressed when the caregiver leaves (extreme separation protest), however they resist comfort from the caregiver on reunion (no reunion joy). They strongly resist the stranger’s attempts to make contact (extreme stranger anxiety).

Question 6

Advantages of the Strange Situation

Answer 6

+ The Strange Situation has been replicated many times over the years. It is easy to replicate this study because it had a high level of control and standardised procedures. It has been carried out successfully in many different cultures.

Question 7

Disadvantages of the Strange Situation

Answer 7

• This methodology was developed in the United States and so may be culturally biased. Attachment behaviour that is seen as healthy in the United States may not be seen as such in all cultures. In Germany at this time very few mothers worked (less than 1 in 5) but children were encouraged to be independent and self-reliant. German parents view some of the behaviour exhibited by securely attached infants, such as crying when their mothers leave the room, as being spoilt and so do not reward this behaviour. This is why these children may have shown less anxiety when separated from their mothers and been classed as avoidant.
• The validity of some measures has been questioned, for instance, it could be argued that proximity seeking could be a measure of insecurity rather than security.
• The strange situation is gender biased as it has only ever been carried out using mothers as the caregiver. Children might be insecurely attached to their mothers but securely attached to their fathers. They strange situation is therefore not measuring a child’s overall attachment style but their attachment to one individual. Main and Weston (1981) found that children behave differently depending on which parent they are with
• The Strange Situation being artificial is that it may not reflect the infant’s real world behaviour (lacks ecological validity). Studies have found that babies’ attachment behaviours are much stronger in laboratory settings than they are in their home environment.