ainsworths strange situation ao3

Question 1

Strength of strange situation
Good reliability

Answer 1

P: One strength of the strange situation is good inter-rater reliability
E: eg when testing inter-rater reliability for a team of observers, Bick et al 1978 found 94% agreement between observers
This could be because the observations took place under strict and controlled methods (including video recording) using predetermined behavioural categories that were easy to observe eg separation anxiety.
E: therefore high inter-rater reliability means that findings are considered more meaningful because we can be confident that an attachment type identified in the strange situation doesn’t depend on subjectivity.
L: thus ainsworths strange situation has a high level of reliability and findings can be considered more meaningful

Question 2

Weakness of strange situation - culture bound

Answer 2

P: the strange situation was developed in Britain and the US and thus may only be valid for use in certain cultures
E: Takahashi (1986) found that in one Japanese study babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety and so a disproportionate number of them were classified as insecure resistant. More specifically 32%.
E: this can be explained by Japans collectivist culture which doesn’t attribute significance to independence and mothers rarely leave their child alone. So thus by Japanese standards children show a very normal level of behaviour.
L: this raised the issue of imposed etic as ideas of secure attachment differ cross culturally (from Europe to Asia)
So it’s hard to know what strange situation is actually measuring when using it outside of Britain.

Question 3

Strength of strange sit
Good predictive validity

Answer 3

P: good pred val
E: attachment types as defined by strange sit are highly predictive of future dev
Babies assessed as secure generally go on to have better outcomes than insecure babies in many areas of development.
• In childhood better achievement in school and less involvement in bullying (McCormick et al. 2016)
• Securely attached babies tend to go on to have better mental health in adulthood (Ward et al. 2006).
• Babies assessed as Type C tend to have the worst outcomes.
E: this suggests strange sit measured sometime real and meaningful dev it has good predictive validity

Question 4

Counterpoint to good predictive val

Answer 4

P: The strange situation clearly measures something important associated with later development.
• Not all psychologists believe it is attachment
• Kagen (1982) suggests that genetically influced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behaviour.
•known as the temperament hypothesis.
So the beh seen by the strange sit could be down to a very laid back baby or one that is very hyper anxious
So attachment quality not measured but anxiety is which is something that can be genetic