Strange situation Flashcards
Who carried out the strange situation experiment and when?
Mary Ainsworth (1970s)
What was the aim of Ainsworth’s study?
To observe attachment security in children within the context of caregiver relationships
What was Ainsworth’s sample?
About 100 middle class American infants aged 9-18 months, and their mothers
How was the procedure designed?
It was designed to be novel enough to elicit exploratory behaviour, but not so strange that it would evoke fear and heighten attachment
What was Ainsworth’s procedure?
Child is observed playing with toys for 20 minutes while caregivers and strangers enter and leave the room
It is split into 8 different stages, such as:
-Mother, experimenter and infant
-Mother, stranger and infant
-Stranger and infant alone
Ainsworth and Bell observed from other side of one way mirror
What were the 5 classes of behaviour that were observed?
Proximity and contact seeking- reaching, leaning, directed cries etc.
Contact maintaining- clinging, embracing, resisting release etc.
Avoidance of proximity and contact- increasing distance, turning away, averting gaze etc.
Resistance to contact and comfort- angry, conflicting attempts to repel adult, wriggling to get down if picked up, angry shouts, etc.
Search behaviour- following mother to the door, glancing at it etc.
How did the observers note their observations?
Gave intensity score for the classes in each 15 second interval
What are the three types of attachment?
Secure (70%)
Insecure avoidant (15%)
Insecure resistant (15%)
What did Ainsworth find about the securely attached infants?
Desire for proximity and contact
Maintenance of contact
Positive response to reunion
Lack of resistance or avoidance
Preference for mother over stranger
Distress related to mother’s absence
What did Ainsworth find about insecure avoidant?
Avoidance of proximity and interaction
Lack of desire for proximity or contact
No clinging or resistance to release
Minimal active resistance to contact
Similar treatment of stranger
Lack of distress during separation
What did Ainsworth find about insecure resistant?
Conspicuous contact and interaction resisting behaviour
Ambivalence towards mother
No avoidance of mother
Possibly more angry or passive
Complex relationship with caregiver
What is Ainsworth’s maternal sensitivity hypothesis?
Child’s attachment style depends on their mother’s behaviour towards them
‘Sensitive’ mothers are responsive to child’s needs and respond to their moods and feelings correctly
Mothers who are less sensitive towards child, such as being impatient with child, are less likely to form secure attachment
Theory support?
Supported by research support from Wolf and Van Ijzendoor (1997)- meta analysis found correlation between parental sensitivity and attachment type
However, it is only a weak correlation (0.24)
Temperament?
Kagan (1984) suggests that the temperament of a child is what leads to different attachment types
Supported by research from Fox (1989) who found that babies with an easy temperament (eat, sleep regularly, accept new experiences) form more secure attachment
Interactionist theory is best way to see it
Reliability?
Study conducted in Germany found that 78% of children were classified in same way at ages 1 and 6 years old
