Strange situation

Question 1

▲ What does avoiding the mother and being unconcerned suggest?

Answer 1

Insecure-avoidant attachment

Question 2

● What does secure attachment show during reunion?

Answer 2

Positive/happy

Question 3

● What behaviour is typical of insecure-avoidant infants during separation?

Answer 3

Unconcerned

Question 4

● What does secure attachment show during separation?

Answer 4

Upset or subdued

Question 5

● How long did each Strange Situation episode last?

Answer 5

3 minutes

Question 6

✪ How does the Strange Situation increase internal validity despite criticisms?

Answer 6

It controls variables to focus on caregiver-infant behaviour

Question 7

● What behaviour is measured when the stranger enters?

Answer 7

Stranger anxiety

Question 8

✪ What implication does cultural difference have for the global applicability of the Strange Situation?

Answer 8

It may not be a valid tool for measuring attachment worldwide

Question 9

▲ How might Kagan’s temperament hypothesis affect Strange Situation results?

Answer 9

Natural anxious temperament could be mistaken for insecure attachment

Question 10

● What caregiver style is linked to secure attachment?

Answer 10

Sensitive and responsive

Question 11

✪ Why is it problematic to assume anxiety is caused by attachment type in the Strange Situation?

Answer 11

Other factors like temperament may cause anxiety responses

Question 12

● How many episodes were in the Strange Situation procedure?

Answer 12

7

Question 13

▲ What could low exploration and high anxiety suggest?

Answer 13

Insecure-resistant attachment

Question 14

▲ What might cause an infant to appear insecure-avoidant in Germany?

Answer 14

Cultural encouragement of independence

Question 15

● What tool did Ainsworth use to assess attachment?

Answer 15

Strange Situation Classification

Question 16

● What research method did Ainsworth use?

Answer 16

Controlled observation

Question 17

✪ Why might the Strange Situation have low external validity?

Answer 17

The setting and procedures may not represent natural caregiver-child interactions

Question 18

✪ How do Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg support Ainsworth’s Strange Situation findings?

Answer 18

They replicated the study and found similar attachment distributions, increasing its validity

Question 19

● What behaviour is measured when the mother returns?

Answer 19

Reunion behaviour

Question 20

▲ What does positive reunion behaviour indicate in the Strange Situation?

Answer 20

Secure attachment

Question 21

● What behaviour is measured when the mother leaves?

Answer 21

Separation anxiety

Question 22

● What caregiver style is linked to insecure-avoidant attachment?

Answer 22

Unresponsive

Question 23

▲ What might intense distress and clingy reunion behaviour suggest?

Answer 23

Insecure-resistant attachment

Question 24

✪ How does the Strange Situation fail to consider cultural differences in childrearing?

Answer 24

It may inaccurately assess attachment in cultures where independence is valued

Question 25

✪ How does the Strange Situation potentially misclassify attachment due to temperament?

Answer 25

Children might be labelled insecure due to naturally anxious behaviour

Question 26

● What is the aim of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?

Answer 26

To assess the quality of a baby’s attachment

Question 27

✪ Why might a child’s natural personality affect the validity of attachment type classification?

Answer 27

Behaviour might reflect temperament rather than attachment style

Question 28

▲ What does Ainsworth conclude about caregiver sensitivity?

Answer 28

It determines attachment type

Question 29

● What caregiver style is linked to insecure-resistant attachment?

Answer 29

Inconsistent

Question 30

✪ What does the critique of temperament as a confounding variable imply about Ainsworth’s conclusions?

Answer 30

They may not solely reflect attachment but also innate personality

Question 31

▲ What attachment type is shown by infants who explore little and resist comfort?

Answer 31

Insecure-resistant

Question 32

✪ How might imposed etic limit the Strange Situation’s cross-cultural validity?

Answer 32

It’s based on American norms, which may not apply to other cultures like Japan or Germany

Question 33

✪ What does the example of German infants suggest about attachment assessment?

Answer 33

Insecure-avoidant behaviour may reflect cultural values, not attachment issues

Question 34

▲ How does a child’s reaction to a stranger help identify attachment type?

Answer 34

Shows level of stranger anxiety

Question 35

● How many middle-class American infants were in Ainsworth’s study?

Answer 35

100

Question 36

● What behaviour is typical of insecure-resistant infants during reunion?

Answer 36

Clinginess mixed with rejection

Question 37

● What does secure attachment show in exploration?

Answer 37

Willingness to explore using mother as a secure base

Question 38

✪ Why does the Strange Situation lack ecological validity?

Answer 38

It occurs in a controlled environment which may not reflect real-world behaviour

Question 39

▲ Why might a child behave differently in a Strange Situation lab setting?

Answer 39

Unfamiliar environment may increase anxiety

Question 40

✪ Why is the Strange Situation criticised for cultural bias?

Answer 40

It reflects Western child-rearing practices and may mislabel behaviour in non-Western cultures

Question 41

✪ How does Kagan challenge Ainsworth’s assumptions about attachment behaviour?

Answer 41

He suggests temperament, not attachment, may drive behaviour in the Strange Situation