Strange Situation Flashcards
Why did Ainsworth develop the Strange Situation?
to observe key attachment behaviour to assess the quality of a child’s attachment behaviour to a caregiver
What did the Strange Situation involve?
placing a child in a controlled environment where they would be observed under a series of different situations
What was the purpose of the Strange Situation?
measure four key behaviours including: exploration behaviour, separation anxiety ,stranger anxiety,reunion behaviour
Exploration Behaviour
how the child explores the environment and whether they use the mother as a safe base
separation anxiety
how the child responds to/behaves when the mother leaves the room
Stranger anxiety
how the child responds in the presence of a stranger
Reunion Behaviour
how the child acts when reunited with their mother
How did Ainsworth classify the children?
securely attached, insecure-avoidant attached or insecure-resistant attached
How did securely attached children act?
the children exploring freely and show proximity seeking and secure base behaviour
How did insecure-avoidant attach children act?
children exploring freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour
How did insecure-resistant attach children act?
seeking greater proximity and explored less with huge separation and stranger distress
What is secure attachment?
- children who explored happily but showed proximity seeking and secure base behaviour.
- They showed moderate separation distress and stranger anxiety but would accept comfort from their caregiver in the reunion stage
Explain the difference between secure attachment and insecure attachment?
- Secure-attached children show proximity seeking and secure base behaviour whereas insecure-avoidant attached children do not show either.
- Insecure-avoidant attached children show no separation distress or stranger anxiety whereas secure-attached children show moderate separation and stranger distress.
- Insecure-resistant attachment resist comfort when reunited with their carer whereas secure attachment accept comfort in the reunion stage from their caregiver
What is a limitation of the Strange situation?
the test may be cultural bound
Why is the Strange situation cultural bound?
- cultural differences in childhood experiences are likely to mean that children respond differently to the Strange Situation
- caregivers from different cultures may behave different in the Strange Situation
What did Takashi find?
this test does not work in Japan as mother in Japan are rarely separated from their babies which meant there were very high levels of separation anxiety
Why are Takashi’s findings a weakness?
this test may indicate cultural bias and thus cannot be generalise globally.
What is a strength of the Strange Situation?
there is very good inter-rater reliability
Why does the Strange Situation have good inter-rater reliability?
the Strange Situation taking place under controlled conditions and the easy observable behaviour categories, different observers were able to watch the same children in the Strange Situation and mostly agree on what attachment types to classify them with
What did Bick et al do and find?
looked at inter-rater reliability on the Strange Situation and found observers agreed on attachment type for 94% of infants
Why are Bick’s findings a strength?
the Strange Situation is able to be replicated and other observers are able to identify the attachment types which means psychologists can be confident that it does not depend on who is observing them.
