Attachment - Ainsworth's Strange Situation

Question 1

Strange situation experiment

Answer 1

• Controlled observation of infant-caregiver interaction
• Takes place in unfamiliar playroom
• Involves mother, infant (12-18 months), and a stranger
• Series of 7 episodes, each lasting 3 minutes
• Child’s behaviour observed through one-way mirror

Question 2

Behavioural categories observed

Answer 2

• Proximity seeking: how close infant stays to caregiver
• Exploration and secure base behaviour
• Stranger anxiety: reaction to unfamiliar person
  -Separation anxiety: Response when mother leaves
• Reunion behaviour: Reaction when mother returns

Question 3

7 episodes of the strange situation

Answer 3

1. Mother and child enter playroom, child encouraged to explore and play
2. Stranger enters and interacts with child
3. Mother leaves, stranger remains
4. Mother returns, stranger exits
5. Mother leaves again, child alone
6. Stranger returns
7. Mother returns and interacts with child

Question 4

Secure attachment

Answer 4

• Uses mother as a safe base for exploration
• Moderate separation and stranger anxiety
• Shows joy when mother returns
• Easily comforted by mother’s presence
• Develops from sensitive, responsive parenting

Question 5

Insecure avoidant attachment

Answer 5

• Explores without using mother as a safe base
• Low separation and stranger anxiety
• Shows little reaction when mother leaves or returns
• Often ignores or avoids mother
• Develops from unresponsive caregiving

Question 6

Insecure resistant

Answer 6

• Little exploration, stays close to mother
• High separation and stranger anxiety
• Intense distress when mother leaves
• Difficult to comfort upon reunion
• Develops from inconsistent caregiving

Question 7

Attachment type distrubution

Answer 7

• 70% secure
• 15% insecure avoidant
• 15% insecure resistant

Question 8

Strengths of the strange situation

Answer 8

• Controlled observation allows standardisation
• High inter-observer reliability (0.94 correlation)
• Enables cross-cultural comparisons
• Provides clear categories for classification

Question 9

Limitations of Strange situation

Answer 9

• May lack ecological validity
• Originally only three attachment types identified
• Culturally relative: designed for Western contexts
• Doesn’t account for individual differences in temperament

Question 10

Implications and further research

Answer 10

• Forth attachment type: disorganised attachment
• Cross-cultural studies reveal variations in attachment
• Long-term effects of early attachment on adult relationships
• Applications in parenting education and therapy