Ainsworths Strange Situation: types of attachment Flashcards
What was the aim of the Strange Situation experiment?
to systematically test the nature of attachment - see how infants behave under conditions of mild stress and also novelty
What were the procedures of Ainsworths study?
- Research room in a novel (new) environment
- 8 episodes, each deigned to highlight certain behaviours
- caregiver and stranger would alternately stay with the infant - enables observation of the infants separation anxiety, reunion behaviour, stranger anxiety and the novel environment
- Data collected by a group observers using a one-way mirror or a video recorder
- Record the infants behaviour every 15 seconds using behavioural categories
What were the findings of Strange Situation?
Found three main patterns -
Secure attachement: Happy to explore with caregiver as a secure base
Shows moderate distress when caregiver leaves
Happy when caregiver returns (easily comforted)
Wary of stranger but not overly distressed (66%)
Insecure-avoidant: Willing to explore but doesn’t seek proximity to caregiver
Little or no distress when caregiver leaves
Avoids contact when caregiver returns
Responds similarly to caregiver and stranger (22%)
Insecure-resistant: Clingy and doesn’t explore much
Extreme distress when caregiver leaves
Seeks comfort but resists it when caregiver returns (ambivalent)
Very wary of strangers (12%)
Why did the findings have high validity?
The measurements are confirmed as meaningful if there is agreement amongst observers - called inter-observer reliability
Ainsworth found almost perfect agreement
What attachment style did Ainsworth overlook?
Main & Solomon analysed over 200 Strange Situation tapes and proposed a 4th type of attachment
insecure-disorganised: Shows a lack of a consistent strategy when dealing with separation and reunion
Might display contradictory behaviours – e.g., approaching the caregiver but then freezing, or seeming confused or fearful
May show dazed expressions, sudden outbursts, or odd postures
Suggests Ainsworths studies are oversimplified - need to reevaluate and expand attachment classifications
Why might the Strange Situation suggest low internal validity?
Main & Weston found children behaved differently depending on which parent they were with - this suggests that the classification of an attachment type may not be valid because what we are measuring is just one relationship
HOWEVER, Bowlbys monotropy suggests the mother is the chief influence in attachment - this supports the internal validity
What may be the central mechanism in determining attachment type rather than sensitivity?
Maternal reflective functioning - Slade, ability to understand what someone else is thinking and feeling is the most important
