types of attachment - ainsworth's 'strange situation'

Question 1

who developed it & when

Answer 1

mary ainsworth & silvia bell (1970)

Question 2

aim

Answer 2

be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver

Question 3

describe the ‘strange situation’

Answer 3

• controlled observation designed to test attachment security in babies
• they are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with stranger & reunited with caregiver

Question 4

how did the researchers observe the behaviour

Answer 4

via a two-way mirror and/or cameras

Question 5

name the 5 behaviours used to judge the attachment

Answer 5

1. proximity seeking
2. exploration & secure-base behaviour
3. stranger anxiety
4. separation anxiety
5. response to reunion

Question 6

define proximity seeking

Answer 6

baby with good quality attachment will stay fairly close to caregiver

Question 7

define exploration & secure-base behaviour

Answer 7

good attachment enables a baby to feel confident to explore, using caregiver as secure base
eg. a point of contact will make them feel safe

Question 8

define stranger anxiety

Answer 8

one of signs of becoming closely attached is displaying anxiety when a stranger approaches

Question 9

define separation anxiety

Answer 9

another sign of becoming attached is to protest at separation from caregiver

Question 10

define response to reunion

Answer 10

babies who are securely attached greet caregiver’s return with pleasure & seek comfort

Question 11

how many episodes were in the procedure

Answer 11

7

Question 12

how long did each episode last

Answer 12

3 minutes

Question 13

describe each episode & what it was testing

Answer 13

caregiver & baby enter unfamiliar playroom
1. baby is encouraged to explore = exploration & secure base
2. stranger comes in, talks to caregiver & approaches the baby = stranger anxiety
3. caregiver leaves baby & stranger together = separation & stranger anxiety
4. caregiver returns & stranger leaves = reunion behaviour & exploration/secure-base
5. caregiver leaves baby alone = separation anxiety
6. stranger returns = stranger anxiety
7. caregiver returns & is reunited with baby = reunion behaviour

Question 14

who identified 3 main types of attachment & when

Answer 14

ainsworth et. al (1978)

Question 15

name the 3 main types of attachment

Answer 15

type A: insecure-avoidant attachment
type B: secure attachment
type C: insecure-resistant attachment

Question 16

describe type A: insecure-avoidant attachment

Answer 16

• babies explore freely & don’t seek proximity/show secure-base behaviour
• show little/no reaction when caregiver leaves & little stranger anxiety
• make little effort to make contact when caregiver returns & may even avoid it

Question 17

describe type B: secure attachment

Answer 17

• babies explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver (proximity-seeking & secure-base behaviour)
• usually show moderate separation distress & stranger anxiety
• require & accept comfort from caregiver in reunion stage

Question 18

describe type C: insecure-resistant attachment

Answer 18

• seek greater proximity than others = explore less
• high levels of stranger & separation anxiety
• resist comfort when reunited with caregiver

Question 19

what percentage of (british) babies are classified as insecure-avoidant attachment

Answer 19

20-25%

Question 20

what percentage of (british) babies are classified as secure attachment

Answer 20

60-75%

Question 21

what percentage of (british) babies are classified as insecure-resistant attachment

Answer 21

3%

Question 22

evaluate ainsworth’s strange situation AO3

Answer 22

+)
P: good predictive validity - outcome predicts number of aspects of babies later development
E: lots of research has shown that that babies/toddlers assessed as secure (type b) tend to have better outcome than others, both in later childhood & adulthood. in childhood, this includes higher academic success & less involvment with bullying ( mcCormick et al. 2016, kokkinos 2007). securely attached babies also have better mental health in adulthood (ward et al. 2006). those assessed as being insecure-resistant & those not falling into type a/b/c tend to have worst outcomes
T: suggests strange situation measures something real & meaningful in babies development
COUNTERPOINT
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P: measures something more important that’s associated with later development but some psychologists believe this isn’t attachment
E: eg. kagan (1982) suggested that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behaviour in strange situation & later development
T: strange situation may not accurately measure attachment

+)
P: good inter-rater reliability
E: johanna bick et. al (2012) testes inter-rater reliability for the strange situation for a team of trained observers & the agreement on attachment type was in 94% of cases. this high level of reliability may be due to the controlled conditions in which the procedure takes place & because behaviours (eg. proximity seeking) involve large movements and thus, are easy to observe. for instance, anxious babies cry/crawl away from strangers
T: we can be confident that the attachment type assessed by the strange situation doesn’t rely/depend on subjective judgements

-)
P: may not be valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts (culture-bound)
E: the strange situation was developed in britian/the US and thus, may be culture-bound. one reason for this is babies may have different experiences in different cultures which may affect their responses to the strange situation. for example, takahashi (1986) conducted a study within japan where the babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety & so a disproportionate number were categorised as insecure-resistant. takahashi (1990) suggests that the anxiety response wasn’t due to high rates of attachment insecurity but the unusual nature of the babies experiences in japan where mother-baby separation is very rare
T: means it’s difficult to know whether the strange situation is measuring what it intends to outside of europe & the US

+)
P: practical application
E: used in court proceedings when a mother/father wants to have contact with their child. if the child is found to have a secure attachment with their non-custodial parent, then it would be in the best interest of the child to establish regular direct contact
T: strange situation can be used to help children develop their relationships with both caregivers, if appropriate

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P: ethical issues
E: child is put under stress (separation/stranger anxiety) meaning the study has broken the ethical guideline of protection from harm/of participants. however, the separation episodes were curtailed prematurely if the child became too stressed
T: it still broke the ethical guideline