Ainsworth

Question 1

what did Ainsworth propose?

Answer 1

different types of attachment can be formed in children from their parents parenting styles

Question 2

what are the 3 types of attachment?

Answer 2

• secure attachment
• insecure avoidant attachment
• insecure resistant

Question 3

what is secure attachment?

Answer 3

• responsive parenting
• child uses parent as secure base to explore
• fine with parent but distressed when alone and gets stranger anxiety
• high seperation anxiety
• comforted when reunited with parent

Question 4

what is insecure avoidant attachment?

Answer 4

• neglectful parenting
• don’t use safe base- will explore without comfort
• no stranger anxiety
• no comfort needed when reunited with parent

Question 5

what is insecure resistant attachment?

Answer 5

-parenting inconsistent 
no safe base-clingy and don't explore
-experience stranger anxiety
-lots of seperation anxiety 
-when reunited difficult to comfort and often lashes out

Question 6

what is the name of ainsworth’s study?

Answer 6

strange situation

Question 7

what was ainsworth’s strange situation study?

Answer 7

an observation of child attachment behaviours

Question 8

what was the strange situation procedure?

Answer 8

-structured observation in a lab situation with chairs for mother and toys for child
1-mother and child start in room playing together with toys
2-stranger comes into room talks to mother and attempts engagement with child whilst mother is there
3-mother leaves room leaving child and stranger together- stranger attempts to engage with child
(stranger anxiety is measured)
4-mother comes back into room according to levels of distress from child
5-mother leaves and seperation anxiety is measured
6-stranger enters with alone child and attempts to play with child
7-mother returns and reunion behaviour is measured

Question 9

who were the strange situation participants?

Answer 9

middle class american families- mother and child

Question 10

what were results of strange situation experiment?

Answer 10

-secure attachment 70%
-insecure avoidant 20%
insecure resistant 10%

Question 11

what conclusions derived from the study?

Answer 11

• different types of attachment which show different behaviours
• attachment types are caused by relative sensitivity/responsiveness of parent (parental sensitivity)