Strange Situation Flashcards
What was the aim of the strange situation
To produce a method for assessing quality of attachment
What was the procedure?
- a covert controlled observation
-100 middle class american infants and their mothers. - subjects placed in an unfamiliar room and observed via a one way mirror.
-mothers leave first time and baby is left with stranger, upon return the first reunion (behaviour) is observed.
- mothers leaves the second time and baby is left fully alone.
Second reunion is observed
What did researchers look for?
Seperation anxiety
Stranger anxiety
Reunion behaviour
Exploration behaviour
Proximity seeking
What were the findings,
Found that therw are 3 types of attachment
- secure attachment
- insecure resistant attachment
- insecure avoidant attachment
What is insecure avoidant?
25% of infants
TYPE A
- infants explore freely
-do not proximity seek - show little to no reaction when caregiver leaves
-little to no efforts to contact with caregiver when they return.
-no reaction when stranger leaves or interacts with infant.
What is secure attachment?
65%
TYPE B
-happy to explore but regularly proximity seek
- show moderate separation and stranger anxiety.
-require and accept comfort at reunion stage.
What is insecure avoidant?
10%
TYPE C
-do not explore room, seek greater proximity.
- show high levels of stranger and seperation anxiety
- RESIST comfort from caregiver when reunited
- angry/ ambivalent behaviour towards caregiver
What is a strengty of the ss?
P- a strength of the ss is that it is a RELIABLE measure of attachment type.
E- this is because it took place in a CONTROLLED setting, and the procedure is STANDARDISED.
All the children went through the same seven episodes in which they were seperated and then reunited with their mother.
E- this means that it can be REPEATED a number of times INCREASING reliability of the findings of the study.
L- this matters because the measure can be used wuth other children to assess their attachment type.
What is a weakness of the strange situation
P- a weakness of the ss is that it LACKS ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY
E- the ss is an UNREALISTIC situation for both the infant and the caregiver.
E- the child may have reacted differently if they had been assessed in their OWN HOME.
Eg they might have shown more signs of being SECURELY ATTACHED if they are in a more familiar surrounding.
L- this matters because its uncertain whether the strange situation can be used to assess attachment styles in everyday life situationsZ. This REDUCES internal validity of the method
What is another weakness of the ss?
P- gender biased
E- ainsworth only assessed the childs attachment to the MOTHER
E- research by SCHAFFER AND EMERSON demonstrates that the primary attachment is not always with the mother.
L- therefore some argue that the ss is an INVALID MEASURE of attachment.
