Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

Question 1

What is the strange situation

Answer 1

Developed by Ainsworth, used to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a child’s attachment to their caregiver

Question 2

What type of observation was the strange situation

Answer 2

Controlled observation in a laboratory with a two-way mirror

Question 3

What is proximity seeking

Answer 3

An infant with a good attachment will stay fairly close to their caregiver

Question 4

What is exploration and secure-base behaviour

Answer 4

Good attachment enables a child to feel confident to explore using their caregiver as a secure base

Question 5

Seven episodes of strange situation and behaviour they are used to observe

Answer 5

1.child encouraged to explore- tests exploration and secure base
2.stranger comes in and tries to interact with child- tests stranger anxiety
3.caregiver leaves child and stranger together- tests separation and stranger anxiety
4. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves- tests reunion behaviour
5. Caregiver leaves child alone- tests separation anxiety
6. Stranger returns- tests stranger anxiety
7. Caregiver returns and is reunited with child- tests reunion behaviour

Question 6

How long did each episode last

Answer 6

Three minutes

Question 7

What are the three main types of attachment

Answer 7

Secure/insecure-avoidant/insecure-resistant attachment

Question 8

What is secure attachment and what percentage of infants have this

Answer 8

Explore happily but regularly go back to their caregiver, moderate separation distress and stranger anxiety, seek and accept comfort from caregiver in reunion stage
-60-75%

Question 9

What is insecure-avoidant attachment and what percentage of infants have this

Answer 9

Children explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour, little or no reaction when caregiver leaves and make little effort to make contact when caregiver returns and show little stranger anxiety, do not require comfort at reunion stage, 20-25%

Question 10

What is insecure-resistant attachment and what percentage of infants have this

Answer 10

Children seek greater proximity than others and so explore less, show huge stranger and separation distress but resist comfort when reunited with carer, 3%

Question 11

Support for validity of study

Answer 11

Attachment type as defined by strange situation is strongly predictive of later development, babies assessed as secure typically go on to have better outcomes eg success at school and friendships, insecure-attachment associated with the worst outcomes eg bullying and adult mental health problems
-increases validity of the concept as can explain subsequent outcomes

Question 12

Expand on strength that study has good reliability

Answer 12

Shows very good Inter-observer reliability as different observers watching the same children generally agree on what attachment type to classify them with
-may be because strange situation takes place under controlled conditions and as behavioural categories easy to observe
-can be confident that attachment type of infant identified in strange situation does not just depend on who is observing them

Question 13

Expand on limitation that study shows cultural bias

Answer 13

-only American babies studies and applied study universally
-strange situation an ethnocentric measure of attachment as based on western attachment behaviours
-means judge other cultures as abnormal based on this
-imposed etic- western measure used to explain behaviour in other cultures
-makes assumption that western behaviours ‘normal’ , may tell us very little about attachment in other cultures