Attachment - Strange situation

Question 1

What was strange situation developed by?

Answer 1

Mary Ainsworth and Silvia Bell (1970)

Question 2

What was the aim of strange situation?

Answer 2

To observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver

Question 3

What is strange situation?

Answer 3

A controlled observation with a 2 way mirror and cameras so that behaviour can be observed

Question 4

What is proximity seeking?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What is exploration and secure-base behaviour?

Answer 5

When good attachment enables the baby to feel confident to explore, using their caregiver as a secure base

Question 6

What is stranger anxiety?

Answer 6

One of the signs of becoming closely attached is display of anxiety when a stranger approaches

Question 7

What is seperation anxiety?

Answer 7

Another sign of becoming attached is to protest at seperation from the caregiver

Question 8

What is response to union?

Answer 8

When babies who are securely attached greet the caregiver’s return with pleasure and seek comfort

Question 9

What is step 1 of strange situation?

Answer 9

The baby is encouraged to explore - tests exploration and secure base

Question 10

What is step 2 of strange situation?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What is step 3 of strange situation?

Answer 11

The caregiver leaves the baby and stranger together - tests seperation and stranger anxiety

Question 12

What is step 4 of strange situation?

Answer 12

The caregiver returns and the stranger leaves - tests reunion behaviour and exploration/secure base

Question 13

What is step 5 of strange situation?

Answer 13

The caregiver leaves the baby alone - tests seperation anxiety

Question 14

What is step 6 of strange situation?

Answer 14

The stranger returns - tests stranger anxiety

Question 15

What is step 7 of strange situation?

Answer 15

The caregiver returns as is reunited with the baby - tests reunion behaviour

Question 16

What are the 3 types of main attachment identified by Ainsworth (1978)?

Answer 16

Secure attachment (type B)
Insecure-avoidment attachment (type A)
Insecure-resistant attachment (type C)

Question 17

What are the characteristics of secure attachment (type B)?

Answer 17

Babies explore happily but regularly go back to their caregiver
Show moderate seperation distress and moderate stranger anxiety
Require and accept comfort in the reunion stage

Question 18

What percentage of the british population are insecure-avoidment attachment (type A)?

Answer 18

20-25%

Question 18

What are the characteristics of insecure-avoidment attachment (type A)?

Answer 18

Babies explore freely but do not seek proximity
Show little reaction to stranger or seperation anxiety
Make little effort to make contact when the caregiver returns

Question 18

What percentage of the british population are securely attached (type B)?

Answer 18

60-75%

Question 19

What are the characteristics of insecure-resistant attachment (type C)?

Answer 19

Babies seek greater proximity and thus explore less
Show high levels of stranger and seperation anxiety
Resist comfort when reunited with their caregiver

Question 20

What percentage of the british population are insecure-resistant attachment (type C)?

Answer 20

3%

Question 21

What is one strength of strange situation?

Answer 21

Good predictive validity

Question 22

What is the evaluation of strange situation having good predictive validity?

Answer 22

P: its outcome predicts a number of apsects of the baby’s later development
E: Children assessed as type B tend to have a better outcome than others
E: McCormick (2016) - better achievement in school
E: Ward (2006) - securely attached babies have better mental health
L: Strange situation measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s development

Question 23

What is another strength of strange situation?

Answer 23

Good reliability

Question 24

What is the evaluation of strange situation having good reliability?

Answer 24

P: Good inter-rater reliability
E: Johanna Bick (2012) - tested inter-rater reliability anf found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases
E: This high level of reliability may be because the procedure takes place under controlled conditions
L: Can be confident that attachment type is not dependent on subjective judgements

Question 25

What is one limitation of strange situation?

Answer 25

The test may be culture bound

Question 26

What is the evaluation of strange situation being culture bound?

Answer 26

P: May not be a valid measure of attachment
E: Babies have different experiences in different cultures and these experiences may affect their responses to the strange situation
E: Keiko Takahashi (1986) studied babies in Japan and found that babies displayed high levels of seperation anxiety
E: Takahashi (1990) suggests that this was because mother-babay seperation is rare in Japan
L: Difficult to know what strange situation is measuring when used outside Europe and US