Ainsworth's strange situation study

Question 1

Ainsworth

Answer 1

• lab experiment (controlled observation)
• experiment set up in small room so behaviour of infant could be observed
• 100 ppts
• 12-18 months old
• Middle class backgrounds

Question 2

Strange situation study

Answer 2

1. Mom and infant go into room to get used to it before observation begins
2. Mom is in room and stranger enters
3. Mom leaves and stranger interacts with infant (Ainsworth records stranger/ seperation anxiety)
4. Mom returns (reuninon behaviour is recorded) and stranger leaves
5. Mom leaves and infant is left alone, a seperation protest is recorded
6. Instead of mom, the stranger returns
7. Mom re-enters the room and stranger leaves, reuinon behaviour is recorded

Question 3

Findings from the strange situation study

Answer 3

• 70% of infants had secure attachments (type a)
• 15% of infants had insecure avoidant attachments (type b)
• 15% of infants had insecure resistant attachments (type c)

Question 4

Types of attachment

Answer 4

• discovered by ainsworth’s study
• secure
• insecure avoidant
• insecure resistant

Question 5

Secure attachments

Answer 5

type b
* seperation anxiety- some stress experiences when seperated from mum
* stranger anxiety- some stress
* reunion behaviour- easily comforted when mum returned

Question 6

Insecure avoidant

Answer 6

type a
* seperation anxiety- little/no stress
* stranger anxiety- little stress when stranger approached
* reuinon behaviour- made little contact with mum

Question 7

Insecure resistant

Answer 7

type c
* sepearation anxiety- intense stress when seperated from mum
* stranger anxiety- extreme fear of stranger
* reuinon behaviour- difficult to comfort, resists contact with mum

Question 8

Evaluation

Answer 8

+ Supportive evidence
+ Inter-reater reliability
- Differences in culture
-Mixture of different behaviours
-Not an accurate measure of attachment

Question 9

+ Supportive evidence

Answer 9

• theres support for the concepts covered in the strange situation
• Kokkinis found that infants assessed as secure typically go onto have better outcomes in many areas in adulthood, e.g success in romantic relationships and friendships
• this shows that the concepts discussed by Ainsworth must be valid because it can explain subsequent outcomes

Question 10

+ Inter-rater reliablilty

Answer 10

• very good inter-rater reliability
• there was more than one reseacher observing the same children in the study and an agreement of more than 94% between their findings

Question 11

- Differences in culture

Answer 11

• study doesnt take into account cultural differences and cultural bonds in attachment behaviour
• e.g. the study doesnt work in Japan because Japanese mothers are rarely seperated from their babies and as a result there would be very high levels of sepeartion anxiety here

Question 12

- Mixture of different behaviours

Answer 12

• Soloman argues that a minority of children do not fall within types a,b, or c categories
• they display atypical attachments which he calls ‘disorgansed attachment types’
• this is a mixture of resistant amd avoidant behaviours
• therfore the study is limited/incomplete

Question 13

- Not an accurate measure of attachment

Answer 13

• some people argue that the study doesnt really measure attachment types, but instead measures reponses to anxiety created by being in an unfamiliar environement
• therefore, the study lacks internal validity