Ainsworth's Strange Situation P1 Flashcards
What was the aim of the research?
To see how children would react to being left by their mother and in the presence of a stranger.
What was being measured by the researchers?
How differently attached children would react in the strange situation of being in the presence of somebody they don’t know.
How was the experiment conducted?
Children were with their mothers and then a stranger would enter the room. The mother would leave and the observers would watch to see how the differently attached babies reacted to the stranger. The person encouraged the child to play and then the mother would return before both her and the stranger would leave.
Stranger returns and the child’s stress increases before the mother returns to calm the child.
The findings of the study?
They identified three types of attachment.
- Secure
- Insecure resistant
- Insecure avoidant
Look at attachment flashcards for more questions on these different types.
What did the research conclude?
Each differently attached type of child will react differently to the presence of their mother but also a stranger they have never met before, with varying reactions and behaviours being produced.
