The strange situation AO3

Question 1

What are the strengths of The strange situation.

Answer 1

• it’s very reliable because it uses a controlled observation and studies have shown agreement in the types for 94% of the babies in their study
• it has real world applications because it can be used to help teachers better understand signals of distress through the Security project that saw a 32-40% secure attachment increase as a result

Question 2

What are the weaknesses of The strange situation?

Answer 2

• there are more attachment types than the ones found, as suggested by Main and Soloman who found Insecure-disorganised attachment (15% of children have this according to Ijendoorn’s meta analysis)
• it’s very cultural specific

Question 3

Explain Takahshi’s counter point to Ainsworth’s findings.

Answer 3

• Takahshi suggested that in Japan (a collectivist culture) the repsonse of the infant during The strange situation was not due to the attachment (Type C) but the fact that the situation was out of the ordinary
• this is because majority of children in Japan rarely separate from their mothers
• suggests that may not be applicable as it doesn’t consider the effects of external factors (it’s reductionist)