The Strange Situation (Attachment)

Question 1

What did Ainsworth identify?

Answer 1

• promixty to the mother
• exploration
• stranger and separation anxiety
• reunion response
• sensitive responsiveness
  indicated attachment strength

Question 2

Ainsworth 3 attachment types

Answer 2

Insecure Avoidant (Type A)
Secure (Type B)
Insecure Resistant (Type C)

Question 3

Insecure Avoidant (Type A)

Answer 3

Infants explore freely, not using their mother as a secure base

Has low stranger stranger anxiety and separation

Mothers show low sensitive responsiveness

Question 4

Secure (Type B)

Answer 4

Infants use their mother as a safe base

Moderate stranger anxiety and separation anxiety

Caregiver shows sensitive responsiveness

Question 5

Insecure Resistant (Type C)

Answer 5

Infants have higher stranger and separation anxiety

Upon their mothers return infants appear ambivalent (crave and reject her attention)

Mothers inconsistent with sensitive responsiveness

Question 6

Strange Situation Procedure

Answer 6

Structured observation of infant and mother in a lab

Behaviours that indicated attachment strength were recorded

Question 7

Strange Situation Findings

Answer 7

Evidence of 3 distinct attachment types that correlated with the level of sensitive responsiveness shown by the mother

66% secure
34% insecure (22% insecure avoidant and 12% insecure resistant

Question 8

What does the strange situation suggest?

Answer 8

Secure attachment develops due to the attention of a consistently sensitively responsive mother

Question 9

Ainsworth Positive Evaluations

Answer 9

Strange Situation highly controlled with standardised procedure that allowed for precise replication

McCarthy found adults with secure friendships and romantic relationships were securely attached in infancy

Question 10

Ainsworth Negative Evaluations

Answer 10

Low ecological validity as it wasn’t a familiar environment

Mothers know her behaviour is monitored and may show sensitive responsiveness due to demand characteristics

Question 11

Van Ijzendoorn’s Cultural Variation

Answer 11

Meta-Analysis of 2000 infants acorss 8 countries each study classified attachment types using Strange Situation

Question 12

Van Ijzendoorn’s Cultural Variation Findings and what this suggests

Answer 12

Secure attachment most common and insecure resistant least common

Germany had highest insecure avoidant infants

Japan most insecure resistant

There are cultural variations