ainsworth's strange situation Flashcards
what was the strange situation?
it was an experiment that placed infants in different situations in order to research the quality of attachment to the caregiver
what were the 5 things they examined
- stranger anxiety
- separation anxiety
- proximity seeking behaviour
- exploration from secure base
- response to reunion
what were the 5 things they examined
- Proximity Seeking
- Exploration and Secure Base Behaviour
- Stranger anxiety
- Separation anxiety
- Response to Reunion
what is the procedure for this experiment:
child and caregiver enter an unfamiliar playroom
- child is encourage to explore - tests exploration and secure base
- A stranger comes in and tries to interact with the child - tests stranger anxiety
- The care giver leaves the child and stranger together - tests separation and stranger anxiety
- care giver leaves the child and stranger together - tests separation and stranger anxiety
- caregiver returns and stranger leaves - tests reunion behaviour and exploration/secure base
- caregiver leads child alone - tests separation anxiety
- stranger returns - tests stranger anxiety
- caregiver returns and is reunited with child - tests reunion behaviour
how did they collect the data?
a group of observers recorded what the infant was doing every 15 seconds and noted the intensity of the behaviour from 1 - 7
what are the three attachment types
- secure attachment - Type B
- insecure-resistant attachment - Type C
- insecure-avoidant attachment - Type A
what is secure attachment
- played contently with their mother present
- sought comfort from her during reunions
- moderate separation distress and stranger anxiety
what is insecure-avoidant attachment
ignored caregivers and strangers presence/absence
what is insecure-resistant attachment
- explored less and stayed by their mother
- huge distress and separation anxiety shown
what did Ainsworth conclude
differences in attachment are caused by the sensitivity of the mother to the infants needs
