The Strange Situation and it's implications Flashcards
Who conducted the original Strange Situation study and when?
Ainsworth and Bell (1970)
What is the Strange Situation?
A method of measuring the quality of attachment by placing the infant in a unfamiliar situation
How many stages are there in the Strange Situation procedure?
8
Approximately how long should each phase of the procedure last?
3 minutes
What does the observers measuring during the experiment?
The infants behaviour; specifically the levels of stranger anxiety and separation anxiety
What experimental method is used?
It is a controlled experiment = Lab observation
Describe briefly the 8 stages of the Strange Situation
- Mother and Baby introduced to the room
- Mother is passive while baby explores the room
- A stranger enters the room and talk to the mother then gradually approaches the baby with a toy
- SEPARATION EPISODE - Mother leaves the baby and stranger in the room and the stranger tries to engage with him/her
- REUNION EPISODE - Mother returns and greets the baby (stranger leaves)
- SEPARATION EPISODE #2 - Mother leaves and baby is in the room alone
- Stranger returns and tries to engage with the baby
- Mother returns and picks up the baby, stranger leaves
What 4 specifics did the researchers observe?
STAR
- separation anxiety symptoms
- the infants willingness to explore
- anxiety towards stranger
- reunion behaviour
What year did Ainsworth compile her findings from the Strange Situation experiments?
1978
What 3 categories were established as a result of the findings from the Strange Situation experiments?
Insecure avoidant - TYPE A
Insecure resistant - TYPE C
Securely attached - TYPE B
What percentage of Ainsworth’s results were securely attached?
66%
What percentage of Ainsworth’s results were Insecure avoidant?
22%
What percentage of Ainsworth’s results were Insecure resistant?
12%
How were the percentages of Ainsworth’s results split between the three categories?
Securely attached = 66%
Insecure Avoidant = 22%
Insecure Resistant = 12%
What ‘Type’ Is insecure avoidant?
TYPE A
What ‘Type’ is Securely attached?
TYPE B
What ‘Type’ is Insecure Resistant?
TYPE C
Discuss how the infants in Type B reacted in the Strange Situation experiment
Overall - mother and stranger treated very differently
- babies played happily while mother was there
- play was seriously disrupted and upset when mothers left
- stranger had no effect when mother was present
- immediate comfort on reunification with mother
- stranger + baby = upset
Discuss how the infants in Type A reacted in the Strange Situation experiment
Overall - mother and stranger treated very similarly
- showed indifference towards mother
- play hardly affected in mother’s presence or absence
- few signs of distress when she left and ignored/avoided her when she returned
- most distress when left alone
Discuss how the infants in Type C reacted in the Strange Situation experiment
Overall - ambivalent towards mother
-fussy and wary even when mother was present and they cried a lot more than others
-mother left = very distressed
-mother returned = ambivalent towards her: seeking contact but at the same time showing anger and resisting contact
- e.g. they would put their arms out to be
picked up then immediately struggle to
get down
Identify the strengths of the strange situation
- Its findings have has very influential implications
- Warner et al 1984 = research to support the reliability of the study which found that 78% of children were classified as having the same attachment type at ages 1 and 6
Identify the Weaknesses of the Strange Situation
- Unreasonable to generalise - findings are restricted to middle class American infants = culturally biased
- Validity issues as it appears to measure specific relationships, not general characteristics
- RESEARCH EVALUATION:
Lamb (1977) found that an infant may be securely attached with their mother, yet insecure avoidant with their father
Main and Cassidy (1988) in a later Strange Situation style study they identified another classification group = disorganized. These children showed inconsistent behaviour, confusion and indecision.
What 3 researches can be used to evaluate strange situation?
+Warner et al (1984) - attachment types over time
- Lamb (1977) - attachment differs between parents
- Main and Cassidy (1988) - disorganized children
in Warner et al (1984)’s study what percentage of children were classified as having the same attachment type at ages 1 and 6
78%
What was the 4h classification group that Main and Cassidy theorised and what year did they do so?
1988 - disorganized children
What is the potential further analysis of the Strange situation?
(hint: pyramid diagram)
There is potentially cyclical effects, for example the behaviour of a care giver towards their securely attached child will create a positive and loved internal working model of itself, which in turn, would make them behave better, meaning the care givers behaviour can remain positive towards them.
