Lesson 7: Types of Attachment

Question 1

The strange situation

Answer 1

• Used by Ainsworth et al (1970) to investigate differences in attachments between infants and their caregivers
• Was a controlled observation which took place in a room that had been furnished with some toys
• Investigators observed the infants in a series of three-minute episodes
• They recorded an infants proximity seeking, stranger anxiety, separation protest and reunion joy

Question 2

Type A- Insecure-Avoidant

Answer 2

• 20% of babies were classified as insecure-avoidant
• babies with this attachment style will largely ignore their caregiver and play independently while they explore the room
• show no signs of distress when caregiver is absent (no sep protest)
• continue to ignore them when they return (no reunion joy)
• baby is left distressed when left completely alone but is comforted by the stranger as easily as their caregiver (no stranger anxiety)
• caregiver and stranger are treated in much the same way

Question 3

Type B- Secure Attachment

Answer 3

• 70% of babies were described as securely attached
• play happily while the caregiver is present and use them as a safe base while they explore the room and play with toys
• clearly distressed when the caregiver leaves (separation protest)
• seeks immediate contact with their caregiver when they return (reunion joy), caregiver easily comforts them
• baby is wary of the stranger (stranger anxiety) but accepts some comfort from them when the caregiver is absent

Question 4

Type C- Insecure-Resistant

Answer 4

• 10% of babies
• fussy and cry more than other babies
• will not explore the room or play with the toys very much, instead they are clingy
• distressed when the caregiver leaves (extreme separation protest)
• resist comfort from caregiver on reunion (no reunion joy)
• strongly resist strangers attempts to make contact (extreme stranger anxiety)

Question 5

Positive of the Strange Situation

Answer 5

• Has been replicated many times over the years. It is easy to replicate this study because it had a high level of control and standardised procedures. It has been carried out successfully in many different cultures.

Question 6

Negatives of the Strange Situation (3x general)

Answer 6

• Methodology developed in the United States and so may be culturally biased. Attachment behaviour is seen as healthy in the US but not this may not be true for other cultures. In Germany at this time very few mothers worked but children were encouraged to be independent and self-reliant German parents view some attachment behaviours as being spoilt and do not reward this behaviour. Therefore, these children may have shown less anxiety when separated from their mothers and been classed as avoidant.
• The validity of some measures has been questioned e.g. it could be argued that proximity seeking could be a measure of insecurity rather than security.
• Artificial so may not reflect the infants real world behaviour (lacks ecological validity). Studies found that babies attachment behaviours are much stronger in laboratory settings than in their home environment.

Question 7

Negative of the Strange Situation (1x case study)

Answer 7

• Main and Weston (1981) found children behave differently depending on which parent they are with. Strange Situation is gender biased as it has only ever been carried out using mothers as the caregiver. Children may be insecurely attached to mothers but securely attached to fathers. Therefore, the strange situation fails to measure a child’s overall attachment style but their attachment to one individual.