ainsworth's strange situation

Question 1

what was ainsworth’s strange situation?

Answer 1

• an observational method for testing strength of attachment between a caregiver and an infant
• infants aged 9-18 months were placed in a situation of mild stress and their behaviour was observed through a one way mirror throughout 8 scenarios

Question 2

the strange situation stages

Answer 2

1. mother and infant enter the room. mother sits and reads, and the child is free to explore - EXPLORATION
2. stranger enters and talks with the mother - STRANGER ANXIETY
3. stranger approaches the infant and tries to play with them - STRANGER ANXIETY
4. mother leaves so the stranger is alone with the infant - SEPARATION + STRANGER ANXIETY
5. mother returns and stranger leaves - REUNION BEHAVIOUR
6. mother leaves again - SEPARATION ANXIETY
7. stranger re enters and tries to play with the infant - STRANGER ANXIETY
8. mother returns and stranger leaves - REUNION BEHAVIOUR

Question 3

secure attachment - type b
66% of people

Answer 3

• EXPLORATION - explores unfamiliar environments, using their mother as a safe base
• SEPARATION ANXIETY - moderate, play is seriously disrupted when the mother leaves
• STRANGER ANXIETY - moderate, wary of strangers and moves closer to the mother when around strangers
• REUNION - joy upon reunion, seeks proximity and is easily comforted by mother

Question 4

insecure-avoidant attachment - type a
22% of people

Answer 4

• EXPLORATION - explores but doesn’t return to or use mother as a safe base
• SEPARATION ANXIETY - low, not affected by mother’s departure
• STRANGER ANXIETY - low, not affected by strangers and shows little preference between them and their mother
• REUNION - little reaction upon reunion and ignores mother, avoids proximity and comfort

Question 5

insecure-resistant attachment - type c
12% of people

Answer 5

• EXPLORATION - doesn’t explore and stays close to mother
• SEPARATION ANXIETY - high, distressed and violent when mother leaves
• STRANGER ANXIETY - high, distressed when stranger approaches them
• REUNION - not easily comforted by mother, rejects her attempt at comfort upon reunion

Question 6

give a strength of the strange situation
1/1

Answer 6

methodology is said to be highly reliable. the observations took place under highly strict and controlled conditions using predetermined behavioural categories. several observers were used to watch and code the infants’ behaviour so that agreement on attachment classifications could be ensured, ainsworth found a 94% agreement among observers. the study had high inter-observer reliability, suggesting results are accurate and meaningful

Question 7

give a limitation of the strange situation
1/3

Answer 7

it lacks ecological validity, she conducted the observation in a controlled, artificial setting which was unfamiliar to the parents and infants. therefore the children and parents being observed may have responded differently to how they would in a more familiar environment, such as their home. we cannot be certain that the behaviours displayed by the children in the strange situation would be the same when the child is in a natural environment, reducing the study’s external validity

Question 8

give a limitation of the strange situation
2/3

Answer 8

methodological issues based on the fact that she conducted an overt observation. the parents knew they were being observed through the one-way mirror and may have displayed demand characteristics. the mothers may have behaved overly affectionately towards their children due to the belief this is what the scenario requested, or to make themselves appear like better parents due to social desirability bias. this may of in turn impacted the child behaviour, lowering the internal validity of the study

Question 9

give a limitation of the strange situation
3/3

Answer 9

the classification of attachment types may be incomplete. main and solomon (1986) analysed hundreds of strange situation episodes and suggested that ainsworth overlooked a fourth attachment type. some infants showed inconsistent patterns of behaviour which was deemed as type d - insecure-disorganised. supported by a meta analysis by van ijzendoorn et al (1999) of us studies which found that 15% of infants were classified as type d. therefore ainsworth may not provide a complete representation of attachment types, limiting its validity