Lesson 3 - Types Of Attachment

Question 1

What is the strange situation

Answer 1

A methodology used by ainsworth et al to investigate differences in attachments between infants and their caregivers. It was a controlled observation which took place in a room furnished with toys

Investigators observed the infants in a series of 3 min episodes:

• mother and baby
• stranger enters
• mother leave
• mother returns, etc

Infants were recorded for their proximity seeking, stranger anxiety, separation protest and reunion joy.

Question 2

What is type A

Answer 2

20% of babies were classed as type as class A - Insecure avoidant

Babies with this attachment style will largely ignore the caregiver and play on their own whilst also exploring the room. They show no separation protest or stranger anxiety and no reunion joy. When left completely alone, they are very distressed, but is easily comforted by strangers. Babies treat caregivers and strangers in the same way

Question 3

What is type B?

Answer 3

70% of babies were classed as type b - securely attached

Securely attached yutes play happily whilst their caregiver is present and use them as a safe base to explore the room and play with toys. Baby shows separation protest even if they are not left completely alone and they seek immediate contact with their caregiver when they return - reunion joy. However baby is wary of strangers, stranger anxiety, but accepts some stranger comfort

Question 4

What is type c

Answer 4

10% of babies were classified as type c insecure resistant

Insecure resistant babies are more fussy and cry more. They won’t explore room or play with toys. They are very clingy to caregiver. Extreme distress when caregiver leaves, however resists comfort when caregiver returns. They strongly resist stranger contact. Extreme stranger anxiety

Question 5

Evaluation strange situation

Answer 5

+has been replicated over many years due to the high levels of control and standardised procedures and it has been carried out in many different cultures. This makes it reliable

• Methodology developed in the United States and so may be culturally biased. Attachment seen as healthy may not be seen as healthy in other cultures. For example in Germany, few mothers work and children are encouraged to be independent and crying when caregiver leaves is seen as spoilt. This is why children may have shown less anxiety when separated from their mothers, and classed as avoidant.
• validity can be questioned. It could be that proximity seeking is a measure of insecurity than security.
• the strange situation is gender biased. Only carried out using mothers as the caregivers. Child may be insecurely attached to mother, but securely attached to father. The strange situation therefore does not measure overall attachment, but attachment to one individual. Studies have found that children behave differently depending on the parent they are with.
• strange situation lacks ecological validity. It may not reflect an infants real world behaviour as it is shown that attachment is much stronger in a lab than at home.