strange situation Flashcards
(13 cards)
what is the strange situation
it is an observational method to test strengths of attachment between a caregiver and an infant devised by ainsworth et al.
how did the procedure occur
infants aged between 9-18 months were placed in a novel situation of mild stress. this was an unfamiliar room where the infants were left alone with a stranger and reunited with their caregiver. behaviour of inants was observed through a one way mirror during a set of 7 scenarios lasting 3 minutes
what behaviours were used to judge attachment
proximity seeking (babies with good attachment will stay close to caregiver)
exploration and secure base behaviour(good attachment enables babies to feel confident to explore using their secure base)
stranger anxiety
separation anxiety
response to reunion
steps to procedure
- child and carer placed in an empty room
2.child is free to explore and encouraged if necessary(assess proximity seeking secure base behaviour)
3.a stranger enters and greets the carer. attempts to play with child(stranger anxiety) - carer leaves child with stranger (stranger anxiety and separation distress)
- carer re-enters and stranger leaves (reuniting response)
- carer leaves child alone (separation distress)
- the stranger re-enters (stranger anxiety)
- stranger leaves and carers re-enters (reuniting response)
what are the proportions of each attachment type
secure attachment = 66%
insecure avoidant = 22%
insecure resistant = 12%
secure attachment characteristics
high willingness to explore
moderate stranger anxiety
reasonably easy to soothe from separation anxiety
enthusiastic at behaviour in reunion
insecure avoidant characteristics
high willingness to explore
low stranger anxiety
indifferent to separation anxiety
avoids contact at behaviour in reunion
insecure resistant characteristics
low willingness to explore
high stranger anxiety
distressed at separation anxiety
seeks and rejects during reunion
what did ainsworth conclude
ainsworth concluded the way caregivers behave towards infants causes their attachment type. securely attached infants have mothers who are sensitive to their needs, insecure-avoidants have mothers ignoring them when they need comfort, insecure resistants have mothers who behave ambivalently or inconsistently and put their own needs first
strength - reliability pet
p: the observations took place under strict and controlled methods using pre-determined behavioural categories
e: since there were several observers watching and coding the same infant behaviours, agreement on attachment classifications could be ensured. Bick et al found 94% agreement when conducting the study.
T: there was high inter-observer reliability so the findings can be considered more meaningful as they do not depend on subjective judgements
weakness - overt
p: observations ainsworth carried out were overt in design.
e: the parents knew they were being observed through the one way mirror and may have displayed demand characteristics or have been affected by hawthorne effect. they may have acted overly affectionate towards their children and as a result may have caused the children to alter behaviour
t: lowers internal validity of experiment
pete limitation - lack ecological validity
p: conducted in a controlled artificial setting which was unfamiliar to both infants and parents
e: the adults may have then acted differently creating an unrealistic response in their child. this means that we do not know if the behaviours displayed by children such as high seperation anxiety would be the same if the children were in a more familiar setting.
t: making the findings less externally valid
e: however it can be argued that the process of leaving infants in an unfamiliar room with toys and strangers reflect the process of being dropped off at university making it mundane realistic
pet limitation: perceiving attachment
p: not all psychologists believe the strange situation assesses attachment
e: while it assesses important associated with later development, for example kagan suggested genetically influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behaviour in the strange situation and later development. this means the strange situation may not actually measure attachment
t: reduces internal validity
