ainsworths strange situation ao1

Question 1

Who and when developed the strange situation

Answer 1

Mary ainsworth
1970

Question 2

What was the strange situation

Answer 2

A method of assessing the quality of attachment between a baby and a caregiver observing key attachment behaviours l

Question 3

Procedure of strange situation

Answer 3

Controlled observation
Measure security of attachment
In the lab there was a 2 way mirror where psychologists could observe the babies behaviour

Question 4

List the behaviours they used to judge attachment

Answer 4

Proximity seeking
Exploration and secure base behaviour
Stranger anxiety
Separation anxiety
Response to reunion

Question 5

Explain what is meant by proximity seeking

Answer 5

A baby with a good quality attachment will stay fairly physically close to caregiver

Question 6

Explain exploration and secure base behaviour

Answer 6

Good attachment means baby feels confident to explore using caregiver as as a secure base

Question 7

Explain stranger anxiety

Answer 7

A sign of being securely attached to
Display of anxiety when stranger approaches

Question 8

Explain separation anxiety

Answer 8

Another sign of becoming attached is to protest separation from care giver eg when care giver leaves room

Question 9

Explain response to reunion

Answer 9

Babies who are securely attached greet the caregivers return with pleasure and seek comfort

Question 10

Procedure was carried out using _ ______ each lasting _ ______

Answer 10

7 episodes
Each lasting 3 minutes

Question 11

Beginning of procedure before first ep

Answer 11

Caregiver and baby enter an unfamiliar play room

Question 12

1st ep and what is tests for

Answer 12

Baby is encouraged to explore
Tests for exploration and secure base

Question 13

2nd ep and what it tests for

Answer 13

A stranger comes in, talks to the caregiver and approaches the baby
Tests stranger anxiety

Question 14

Ep 3 and what it tests for

Answer 14

The caregiver leaves the room
Baby and stranger left together
Test separation and stranger anxiety

Question 15

4th ep and what it tests for

Answer 15

Caregiver return to room stranger leaves
Tests reunion behaviour
Exploration and secure base

Question 16

5th ep and what is tests for

Answer 16

Caregiver leaves baby alone
Tests separation anxiety

Question 17

6th ep and what it tests for

Answer 17

Stranger returns
Tests stranger anxiety

Question 18

7th ep and what it tests for

Answer 18

Caregiver returns and reunited with baby
Tests for reunion behaviour

Question 19

Findings of strange situation

Answer 19

They found 3 types of attachment
Ainsworth et al (1978)

Question 20

List 3 types of attachment and their types of

Answer 20

Secure attachment (type b)
Insecure avoidant (type a)
Insecure resistant (type c)

Question 21

Explain secure attachment

Answer 21

Type B
Babies explore happily but regularly seek proximity to care giver which acts as their secure base
Moderate stranger and separation anxiety
At the reunion stage they require and accept comfort.
About 60-75% British babies are classified as secure

Question 22

Explain insecure avoidant attachment

Answer 22

Type A
Babies explore freely but don’t seek proximity or show secure base beh
Little or no reaction when caregiver leaves
And little stranger anxiety
They make little effort to make contact when caregiver returns and may even avoid
20-25% of babies are insecure avoidant

Question 23

Explain insecure resistant attachment

Answer 23

Type C
Babies seek greater proximity and explore less
Show high levels of stranger and separation distress but they resist comfort when reunited w their caregiver. Around 3% of British babies are classified as insecure res

Question 24

Outline the strange situation (6)

Answer 24

Ainsworth devised a controlled observation called the Strange Situation to assess the quality of attachment in infants.
The Strange Situation involves placing a child and their mother in a novel environment of mild stress, whereby they would be observed and videoed through a two-way mirror during a series of seven different situations, such as a stranger being introduced, and the child being left alone and the child being reunited with their mother after separation.
Over the course of the Strange Situation, the observer measures five key behaviours, including: exploration behaviours
- how the child explores the environment and whether they use the mother as a safe base; separation anxiety - how the child responds to/behaves when the mother leaves the room; stranger anxiety - how the child responds in the presence of a stranger; and reunion behaviours - how the child acts when reunited with their mother.
Depending on how the child responds in the Strange Situation would lead to one of three attachment classifications: secure, insecure avoidant and insecure resistant. In her original experiment, Ainsworth found the following distribution of attachment types: securely attached - 66%, insecure avoidant - 22%, and insecure resistant - 12%