Ainsworth's strange situation ATM

Question 1

strange situation

Answer 1

a controlled observation designed to test security, babies are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with a stranger and being reunited with a caregiver

Question 2

secure attachment

Answer 2

generally thought of as the most desirable attachment type, associated with psychologically healthy outcomes

(type B) Babies show proximity seeking and secure base behaviour. They show moderate separation and stranger distress. Require and accept comfort from the caregiver in the reunion stage. 60-75% of British babies are secure.

Question 3

insecure-avoidant attachment

Answer 3

an attachment type characterised by low anxiety but weak attachment

(type A) Babies explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour. They have little or no stranger or separation distress. They don’t make an effort to seek comfort at reunion. 20-25% of British babies are this

Question 4

insecure-resistant attachment

Answer 4

an attachment type characterised by strong attachment and high anxiety

(type C) babies seek great proximity and do not explore much. They have high levels of stranger and separation distress but resist comfort when reunited. 3% of babies are this

Question 5

How was the strange situation developed?

Answer 5

It was developed by** Ainsworth** and** Bell** and the aim was to be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver.

Question 6

Ainsworth’s procedure

Answer 6

The controlled observation is designed to measure the security of the attachment a baby shows towards the caregiver. It occurs in a controlled environment with a two-way mirror/ camera for easy observation.

Question 7

behaviours that judge attachment

Answer 7

• Proximity seeking
• Exploration and secure-base behaviour
• Stranger anxiety
• Separation anxiety
• Response to reunion

Question 8

proximity seeking

Answer 8

good attachment baby will stay close to caregiver

Question 9

exploration with secure base behaviour

Answer 9

good attachment baby will explore but with caregiver as base

Question 10

stranger anxiety

Answer 10

displayed anxiety near stranger is sign of becoming attached

Question 11

separation anxiety

Answer 11

protesting separation is a sign of being attached

Question 12

response to reuinion

Answer 12

good attachment babies will will happily greet caregiver on return and seek comfort

Question 13

Ainsworth’s findings

Answer 13

There are distinct patterns in which babies behave. They identified 3 types of attachment:
- secure attachment
- insecure-resistant attachment
- insecure- avoidant attachhment

Question 14

good predictive validity and counterpoint

strength + limitation

Answer 14

Outcomes predict many aspects of later development
* Babies assessed as type B tend to have better outcomes than others
* In childhood this could be s school achievements and less involvement in bullying (McCormick)
* Better mental health in adulthood (Ward)
The strange situation measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s development.

BUT
* Not all psychologists believe this to be attachment
* Kagan says that genetically- influenced anxiety levels account for variations in behaviour
Strange situation might not measure development.

Question 15

good reliability

strength

Answer 15

Good inter-rater reliability
* **Bick **tested inter-rater reliability with a group of observers who agreed 94% of the time on attachment type
* Procedure takes place under controlled conditions with easy to observe behaviours
Attachment type does not depend on subject judgements

Question 16

culture bound

limitation

Answer 16

May not be valid for different cultures
* Developed in britain and thE US
* Babies have different experiences in different cultures so may respond differently to the strange situation
* Takahashi in Japan suggested that the anxiety response was actually due to the unusual nature of the experiment in japanese culture
Difficult to know what the strange situation is when outside of our culture.