Ainsworth's Strange Situation

Question 1

Explain the strange situation.

Answer 1

The strange situation tested the strength of attachment between a caregiver and infant. Infants aged between 9-18 months were placed in an unfamiliar room where they were left alone, left with a stranger and reunited with their caregiver.

Question 2

Explain the stages in the strange situation.

Answer 2

1. The mother and child enter a room. The mother sits and reads a magazine and the child is left free to explore the toys on the floor
2. A stranger enters and sits and briefly talks with the mother.
3. The stranger approaches the infant and attempts to interact and play with them.
4. The mother leaves the room, the baby and the stranger are now alone. The stranger can comfort the baby and offer to play with them if the baby is upset.
5. The mother returns and the stranger leaves
6. The mother leaves again leaving the baby alone in the room
7. The stranger re-enters and offers to play with the baby and comfort it
8. The mother returns and the stranger leaves

Question 3

What are the 3 attachment types?

Answer 3

Secure, Insecure-avoidant, Insecure-resistant

Question 4

Explain insecure-avoidant

Answer 4

(22%)

Exploration - The infant explores the unfamiliar environment but does not return back to the mother as a safe-base.

Separation anxiety - The infant is not concerned about the mother leaving and therefore shows low levels of separation anxiety

Stranger anxiety - The infant is not concerned about the stranger and shows low levels of stranger anxiety

Reunion behavior - The infant often ignores the mother when she is back and does not show any joy and avoids intimacy

Question 5

Explain secure

Answer 5

(66%)

Exploration - The infant explores the unfamiliar environment but returns back to the mother at regular intervals as a safe-base.

Separation anxiety - The infant shows moderate levels of separation anxiety since its play is disrupted when the mother leaves.

Stranger anxiety - The infant shows moderate stranger anxiety, the infant is wary of the stranger and will move closer to the mother when she is present with the stranger

Reunion behavior - The infant is pleased to see the mother return and shows joy and seeks proximity.

Question 6

Explain Insecure-resistant

Answer 6

(12%)

Exploration - The infant does not explore the unfamiliar environment and chooses to stay close to the mother instead

Separation anxiety - The infant is extremely distressed when the mother leaves and shows high levels of separation anxiety

Stranger anxiety - The infant shows high stranger anxiety since they become easily distressed when the stranger tried to comfort them

Reunion behavior - The infant seeks but resists the mothers comfort upon reunion.

Question 7

Evaluate the strange situation

Answer 7

• One limitation is that it lacks ecological validity. This is because the experiment was conducted in an unfamiliar environment that was completely new to the mother and baby. This means that the children they were observing could have acted differently in an unfamiliar environment compared to a more familiar environment such as their home. We cannot be certain the infants would display the same behaviours at home compared to in an unfamiliar environment