Attachments: L7-11

Question 1

How are cultural variations in attachments measured?

Answer 1

Using the strange situation

Question 2

Ainsworth in Uganda

Answer 2

2 year naturalistic observation of mother infant interaction in Uganda — 6 mother and infants who lived in 6 villages surrounding Kampala. Found that ‘sensitive’ mothering was the key to ‘securely attached’ infants

Question 3

How are attachments tested?

Answer 3

The strange situation

Question 4

Ainsworth and Bell (1970)

Answer 4

Procedure: a controlled observation in a lab setting designed to test attachments by measuring stranger anxiety and separation anxiety

Episodes
1. Parent sits as infant plays (secure base)
2. Stranger enters and talks to parent (stranger anxiety)
3. Parent leaves, stranger offers comfort if necessary (separation anxiety)
4. Parent returns (reunion behaviour)
5. Parent leaves - infant alone (separation anxiety)
6. Stranger enters (stranger anxiety)
7. Patent returns (reunion behaviour)

Group of observers record what the infant is doing every 15 seconds