Ainsworth's Strange Situation - ATTACHMENT Flashcards
step/situation 1 in the Strange Situation
mother is alone in the room with the child
step 2
a stranger enters the room and talks briefly to the mother
step 3
the stranger leans forward and tries to engage with the infant through play and talk
step 4
mother leaves the room. baby is left alone with the stranger. stranger tries to comfort baby if it gets upset
step 5
mother returns to the room and the stranger leaves
step 6
the mother leaves the room and the infant is alone
step 7
instead of the mother, the stranger comes back and tries to comfort/play with the baby
step 8
the mother re-enters the room and the stranger leaves
what type of study was this
a controlled observation study
what was the study designed to measure
the security of attachment that a child displays towards their caregiver
where does the study take place
in a room with controlled conditions (i.e. a laboratory)
who took part in the study
100 middle class American infants and their mothers
what did the study consist of
a series of observations in a specific order - testing the hypothesis
what were the three (original) types of attachment Ainsworth suggested
Insecure-avoidant
Secure
Insecure-resistant
how did children who were insecure-avoidant explore
they explored freely, didn’t seek proximity
did the insecure-avoidant children show secure-base behaviour
no, they explored freely
how did children who were insecure-avoidant react when the mother left the room
showed little or no reaction
how did children who were insecure-avoidant react when the mother returned
made little effort to make contact. did not require comfort at reunion stage
how did insecure-avoidant children respond to the stranger
didn’t show stranger anxiety
how did children who were secure explore
they explored happily, regularly went back to caregiver
did secure children show secure base and proximity behaviour
yes, they returned to the caregiver regularly but explored contently
how did secure children react to the mother leaving the room
usually showed moderate separation distress
how did secure children react to the stranger
showed moderate stranger anxiety
how did secure children respond to the mother returning
they required and accepted comfort on the reunion stage
if the baby is: not bothered when mum comes back, they were classed as
insecure-avoidant
if the baby: explores freely without bothering where mum is
insecure-avoidant
if the baby:is moderately upset when mum goes
secure
if the baby: does not explore very much; keeps very near mum
insecure-resistant attachment
if the baby: is not bothered by the appearance of a stranger
insecure-avoidant
if the baby: is not upset at all when mum goes
insecure-avoidant
if the baby: is a little wary of the stranger
secure
if the baby: explores happily while keeping an eye on mum
secure
if the baby: does not like the stranger at all
insecure-resistant
if the baby: is cross with mum on return and not easily comforted
insecure-resistant
if the baby: is readily comforted by mum when she returns
secure
what was the fourth attachment type Ainsworth added later on
“disorganised”
why did Ainsworth add a fourth attachment type
construct validity was low, it became clear that some children didn’t fit into the original types well
later study that links to the Strange Situation’s internal validity
Maine et al (1981) found children showed different ‘types’ with mothers/fathers
what was Ainsworth’s coefficient
0.94
what does the coefficient link to
inter-rater reliability
what is a good coefficient score usually considered to be
0.80
implications of research?
Ainsworth stated “secure attachment is the best type” and that they go on to lead better lives (higher IQ, more friends/money)
she later said: “parents who don’t achieve this are failing their children” - controversial obviously
