Strange Situation

Question 1

Who created the Strange Situation?

Answer 1

Ainsworth (1971,1978)

Question 2

What was the procedure of the strange situation?

Answer 2

• Infants aged between 9-18 months
• Placed in a novel environment: 9x9 room containing age appropriate toys (split nto 16 squares)
• Infants observed across eight episodes each lasting 3 minutes
• The caregiver and strangler would alternatively enter or leave the room

Question 3

What infant responses were observed during the strange situation?

Answer 3

• Seperation anxiety
• Stranger anxiety
• Reunion behaviour
• Willingness to explore

Question 4

How did observers view the strange situation?

Answer 4

• Via video or two way mirror
• Recorded what the infant was doing every 15 seconds
• Room split into 16 squares to aid observations of infants movements

Question 5

What behaviour categories were tested for during the observation?

Answer 5

1) proximity and contact seeking
2) contact maintaining
3) proximity and interaction avoiding
4) contact and interaction resisting
5) searching behaviours

Question 6

What is stranger anxiety?

Answer 6

The degree of distress that babies experience when they are left in the care of people unfamiliar to them

Question 7

What is proximity seeking?

Answer 7

The degree to which an infant stays close to their caregiver

Question 8

What is separation anxiety?

Answer 8

The degree of distress that an infant experiences when separated from their caregiver

Question 9

What is safe base behaviour?

Answer 9

Te degree to which an infant feels safe with their caregiver

Question 10

What is reunion behaviour?

Answer 10

The way an infant behaves when reunited with their caregiver after a period of seperation

Question 11

What is exploration?

Answer 11

The degree of confidence to which an infant can explore

Question 12

What are the 7 stages present in the strange situation?

Answer 12

1. The caregiver takes the infant into the laboratory room and they are left to explore
2. A stranger enters and approaches the infant
3. The caregiver leaves unobtrusively and the stranger interacts with the infant]
4. The caregiver returns and the stranger leaves
5. The caregiver leaves so the infant is alone
6. The stranger enters and interacts with the infant
7. The caregiver returns and greets the infant

Question 13

What were the findings of the strange situation?

Answer 13

• sample of 106 middle class infants
• found an increase in crying and a decrease in exploratory behaviour in all infants after step 2 where parent and child play together

Question 14

What 3 attachment types were found after the strange situation?

Answer 14

Type A - insecure avoidant
Type B - secure attachment
Type C - insecure resistant

Question 15

What is the insecure avoidant attachment?

Answer 15

• 15% of infants studied
• tendency to avoid social interaction and intimacy
• little response to separation from caregiver and little proximity seeking when caregiver returns
• no resistance when placed down
• willingness to explore with or without caregiver present

Question 16

What is secure attachment?

Answer 16

• 70% of infants studied
• show moderate distress when caregiver leaves and easily soothed when caregiver returns
• some distress when approached by a stranger
• comfortable with social interaction and intimacy
• the caregiver is a secure base from which they can explore

Question 17

What is the insecure resistant attachment?

Answer 17

• 15% of infants studied
• resisting of intimacy and social interaction
• intense distress when separated from their caregiver and a similar response towards strangers
• display conflicting reunion behaviour, both seeking and rejecting proximity behaviour (difficult to calm down)