Ainsworths strange situation

Question 1

Strange situation

Person

Answer 1

Ainsworth (1969)

Question 2

Ainsworths strange situation

Procedure and findings

Answer 2

Procedure  
 └controlled observation in lab with 2 way mirror 
└behaviours to judge attachment:
└proximity seeking
└exploration/secure base
└stranger anxiety
└seperation anxiety
└response to reunion 
└procedure of 7 episodes testing all behaviours

Findings  
└Ainsworth et al (1978)- 3 main attachment types 
Secure attachment (B)- 60-75%
└explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver
└moderate separation/stranger anxiety 
└accept comfort at reunion 
Insecure avoidant attachment (A)- 20-25%
└explore freely, don’t seek proximity/secure base
└low separation/stranger anxiety
└don’t need comfort at reunion 
Insecure resistant (C)-3%
└seek greater proximity, explore less
└high stranger/separation anxiety
└resist comfort at reunion

Question 3

Ainsworths strange situation procedure

behaviours to judge attachment

Answer 3

└proximity seeking
└exploration/secure base
└stranger anxiety
└separation anxiety
└response to reunion

Question 4

Attachment types

Answer 4

Secure attachment (B)
Insecure avoidant attachment (A)
Insecure resistant (C)

Question 5

Ainsworths strange situation findings 
Secure attachment (B)
Percentage

Answer 5

60-75%

Question 6

Ainsworths strange situation findings 
Secure attachment (B)

Answer 6

60-75%
└explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver
└moderate separation/stranger anxiety
└accept comfort at reunion

Question 7

Ainsworths strange situation findings
Insecure avoidant attachment (A)
Percentage

Answer 7

20-25%

Question 8

Ainsworths strange situation findings

Insecure avoidant attachment (A)

Answer 8

20-25%
└explore freely, don’t seek proximity/secure base
└low separation/stranger anxiety
└don’t need comfort at reunion

Question 9

Ainsworths strange situation findings 
Insecure resistant (C)
Percentage

Answer 9

3%

Question 10

Ainsworths strange situation findings 
Insecure resistant (C)

Answer 10

3%
└seek greater proximity, explore less
└high stranger/separation anxiety
└resist comfort at reunion

Question 11

Ainsworths strange situation
Strengths
Summary

Answer 11

Support for validity- Kokkinos 2007, Ward et al 2006

Good reliability- Bick et al (2012)

Question 12

Ainsworths strange situation
Strengths
Support for validity

Answer 12

└attachment type as defined by the strange situation is strongly predictive of later development
└secure usually have better success at school, better friendships and romantic relationships
└insecure-resistant attachment associated with worst out comes
└bullying in later childhood (Kokkinos 2007)
└adult mental health problems (Ward et al 2006)
└increases validity as can explain subsequent outcomes

Question 13

Ainsworths strange situation
Strengths
Good reliability

Answer 13

└good inter-rater reliability
└different observers watching the same children in the strange situation generally agree on attachment type classification
└may be because takes place under controlled conditions and behavioural categories are easy to observe
└Bick et al (2012)
└agreement on attachment type for 94% of babies- team of trained strange situation observers
└can be confident that attachment type identified not due to observer

Question 14

Ainsworths strange situation
Limitations
Summary

Answer 14

Culture bound - Takahashi (1990)
More attachment types - Main and Solomon (1986)
What does the strange situation measure - Kagan (1982)

Question 15

Ainsworths strange situation
Limitations
Culture bound

Answer 15

└western
└different childhood/caregiver behaviour
└Takahashi (1990)
└Japanese mothers aren’t very separated= high separation anxiety
└at reunion stage Japanese mothers immediately scooped child up so child’s reaction hard to observe

Question 16

Ainsworths strange situation
Limitations
More attachment types

Answer 16

└Ainsworth produces three attachment types:
└insecure avoidant, insecure resistant and secure
└Main and Solomon (1986)
└said minority of children display atypical attachments that don’t fall into A, B or C categories
└disorganised attachment
└nix of resistant and avoidant behaviours

Question 17

Ainsworths strange situation
Limitations
What does the strange situation measure

Answer 17

└strange situation measures child’s response to anxiety produced by being in an unfamiliar environment
└controversial whether the main influence on anxiety is attachment as Ainsworth assumed
└Kagan (1982)
└suggested temperament (genetically influenced personality of the child) is a more important influence
└may be a confounding variable