Ainsworth strange situation

Question 1

explain secure attachment?

Answer 1

• high levels of exploration uses parent as a safe base
• moderate separation anxiety, upset when mum leaves
• high stranger anxiety, but friendly when mum is present
• welcomes mother back when she leaves and once calmed down they play

Question 2

explain insecure avoidant?

Answer 2

• moderate levels of exploration, doesn’t always use mother as a safe base
• low separation anxiety, little reaction when mum leaves
• low stranger anxiety, engages with stranger in similar way to mother
• little reaction during reunion and doesn’t encourage comfort

Question 3

explain insecure resistant?

Answer 3

• low levels of exploration cant use mother as a safe base
• extreme separation anxiety very distressed when mother left, scared she wouldn’t come back
• high stranger anxiety, when mum is present and when alone (fearful)
• upon reunion infant cannot calm down and is clingy whilst rejectful of mother upon return

Question 4

explain why a child is securely attached?

Answer 4

-associated with sensitive and responsive primary care

Question 5

explain why a child is insecure-avoidant?

Answer 5

• associated with unresponsive primary care

- child believes communication of her needs has no influence on her mother

Question 6

explain why a child is insecure resistant?

Answer 6

• associated with inconsistent primary care

- sometimes child’s needs are met and sometimes ignored

Question 7

what are the 3 types of attachment?

Answer 7

• securely attached 70%
• insecure-avoidant 20%
• insecure resistant 10%

Question 8

explain the procedure of the strange situation?

Answer 8

• 100 middle class American mothers and their babies in controlled observation in a room with controlled conditions eg. two way mirror
• doing pre-determined activities
  1. child plays
  2. stranger enters
  3. parent leaves infant w/ stranger
  4. parent returns and stranger leaves
  5. parent leaves infant alone
  6. stranger enters+offers comfort
  7. parent returns and stranger leaves

Question 9

evaluate support for predictive nature?

Answer 9

STRENGTH

• attachment type is strongly predictive of later development
• babies assessed as secure usually have better success eg school, relationships in adulthood
• resisent=worse outcomes inc. mental health problems
• valid because of later outcomes

Question 10

evaluate good reliability?

Answer 10

STRENGTH

• good inter-rater reliability
• due to controlled conditions and behavioural categories are easy to observe
• study on Ssituation found that 95% of trained SS observers agreed on attachment types for tested babies
• proves objectivity

Question 11

evaluate how the test may be culture bound?

Answer 11

WEAKNESS

• Takahashi saw that test doesn’t work in non western countries eg. Japan
• Japanese mothers rarely separate from infants so there are high levels of separation anxiety and reunion behaviour is similar to resistant child.
• means due to SS Japanese mothers neglect their children, however in japan this would be the ideal response
• Ainsworth guilty of imposed etic