7.1.2 - Ainsworth

Question 1

What were the categorised relationships found in her Uganda observation?

Answer 1

• Securely attached - children were generally contented and pacified by the presence of their mother, using her as a safe base
• Insecurely attached - children were less inclined to explore and cried frequently, even when with the mother
• Not yet attached - children were indifferent to the presence of their mother

she found similar results when she repeated the study in the US

Question 2

List the episodes

The SST as a research method?

Answer 2

1. Mother and child enter room and sit down
2. caregiver encourages child to explore
3. stranger enters room
4. caregiver leaves the child with stranger
5. the caregiver returns and stranger leaves
6. the child is left alone
7. the stranger returns
8. the caregiver returns

Question 3

x4 AO1

The SST as a research method?

Answer 3

• Ainsworth developed the strange situation procedure to study individual differences in attachment types.
• It involves a structured observation of parent-child interaction through a one way mirror following an 8 step sequence of 3 minute episodes
• She used children between 12 and 18 months, focusing on how the child responded to the stranger, the separation from the mother and the reunion with the mother when she returned.
• She found if the mother was maternally sensitive and responsive to the child’s signals then the child was more likely to develop a secure attachment.

Question 4

Attachment Types

Results from the SST

Answer 4

1. Secure attachment (Type B) - 66%
   - Indifferent to the stranger when mother is present but ignores the stranger when alone (stranger fear)
   - Upset and distressed when mum leaves
   - Is happy when mother returns and quickly settles and resumes exploring
2. Anxious-avoidant attachment (Type A) - 22%
   - Plays with stranger regardless of mothers presence (doesn’t look for her)
   - Is not distressed at mothers absence and seeks comfort from stranger (equal comfort from both)
3. Anxious-resistant attachment (Type C) - 12%
   - Stayed close to their mother rather than exploring and became extremely distressed when she left
   - Wary of strangers, explores less and cries more than the other two types
   - went for comfort when mother returns but then rejected her comfort and showed anger

Question 5

1. What was it

2. Suggested by who
3. AO1

What was the new attachment type later introduced?

Answer 5

• Suggested by Main and Solomon (1990)
• Type D attachment (disorganised and disorientated) is characterised by the child both approaching the mother on her return and avoiding her.
• can arise from abuse - want to escape but they are scared of person who is their safety net
• children can dissociate and feel detached = disorganised attachment

Question 6

2x AO3 Strengths of SST and Ainsworth’s Research

Answer 6

• It is a highly standardised procedure, involving timed episodes and rigorous analysis of the observed behaviour. Therefore it is an objective and replicable measure and the SST has been useful in finding that 78% of 6 year olds in Germany were classed in the same way as they were at 1 years old
• Like Bowlby, Ainsworth worked in the field of attachment and the effects of daycare for many years so was able to draw on much data for her conclusions. Therefore others used the SS procedure and drew similar conclusions which supports that its a good and reliable measure for attachment in children

Question 7

3x AO3 Weaknesses of SST and Ainsworth’s Research

Answer 7

• the SST is a lab procedure using an unnatural environment where the situation is unfamiliar to the child. Therefore it lacks ecological validity so the child may respond to the environment rather than the type of attachment affecting the child’s reaction to the mothers presence or absence.
• The SST has been used in different cultures and found different proportions of securely attached children. Therefore the SST is culture bound and it may not be replicable as a useful tool in measuring attachment in other cultures where upbringing expectations are different.
• Ainsworth and Bell’s theory does not take into account the individual differences of the children. It is assumed that the attachment type is caused by maternal sensitivity when this attachment could have been determined by the child’s temperament instead. Therefore this is a weakness of Ainsworth’s research the procedure lacks validity as it measures the child’s characteristics in a strange situation rather than their attachment style