AINSWORTH'S STRANGE SITUATION

Question 1

what was the aim of Ainsworth’s strange situation?

Answer 1

asses the quality of a child’s attachment to a caregiver

Question 2

how many categories were there to assess attachment quality?

Answer 2

5

Question 3

what were the five categories to asses attachment?

Answer 3

proximity seeking 
exploration and secure base 
stranger anxiety 
separation anxiety 
reunion stage

Question 4

what were the seven episodes in the procedure?

Answer 4

child explores caregiver 
stranger enter and talks to caregiver 
caregiver leaves 
caregiver returns stranger leaves 
caregiver leaves child alone 
stranger returns 
caregiver returns

Question 5

what were Ainsworth’s findings?

Answer 5

found 3 types of attachment

Question 6

what were the three types of attachment?

Answer 6

insecure avoidant
secure
insecure resistant

Question 7

what was insecure avoidant?

Answer 7

type A
explore well, but no secure base
no stranger and separation anxiety
no comfort at reunion

Question 8

what was secure attachment?

Answer 8

type B
good exploration and secure base
moderate separation and stranger anxiety
requires and accepts comfort at reunion stage

Question 9

what was insecure resistant attachment?

Answer 9

type C
doesn’t explore, too strong secure base
too much stranger and separation anxiety
resists comfort at reunion stage

Question 10

Ainsworth’s strange situation has very good…

Answer 10

inter-rater reliability

Question 11

how does Ainsworth’s strange situation have good inter-rater reliability?

Answer 11

Bick et al found that 94% of researchers agreed on attachment type, easy due to behavioural categories, know that attachment is due to conditions not the observer

Question 12

Ainsworth’s strange situation can be criticised for being …

Answer 12

culture bound because children and caregivers behave and respond differently in other cultures

Question 13

what is research to support that Ainsworth’s research is a culture bound test?

Answer 13

Takahashi said Japanese mothers rarely away from babies, so have high levels of separation anxiety

Question 14

what can be seen as a confounding variable in the experiment?

Answer 14

a child’s temperament

Question 15

how can a child’s temperament affect the experiment?

Answer 15

because it can be more of an influence than attachment, challenges validity because not all children will act the same