Types of attachment Flashcards
What is Strange Situation?
It’s a controlled observation developed by Mary Ainsworth designed to test attachment security. Babies are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone with a stranger and reunited with their caregiver.
What was the aim of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment?
To observe and classify different attachment types.
What was the procedure of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment?
Controlled observation was used
Different ‘scenarios’ were introduced and the effect on behaviour recorded.
Behaviours recorded included:
Proximity-seeking - infant staying close to the caregiver.
Exploration/secure base behaviour - infant feeling comfortable enough with the caregiver to explore their surroundings.
Stranger anxiety - becoming upset in the presence of a stranger.
Separation anxiety - becoming upset when the caregiver leaves.
Reunion behaviour - reaction when the caregiver re-enters the room.
What were the findings of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment?
There are three distinct ‘patterns’ of behaviour shown by the infants, which Ainsworth classified as follows:
Secure attachment (‘Type B’) - majority of infants- 60-75%.
Insecure-avoidant attachment (‘Type A’) - 20-25%.
Insecure-resistant attachment (‘Type C’) - 3%
British babies.
State the characteristics of secure attachment (‘Type B’).
Were happy to explore.
Regularly go back to caregiver (proximity-seeking and secure-base behaviour).
Moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety.
Accept comfort from the caregiver in the reunion stage.
State the characteristics of insecure-avoidant attachment (‘Type A’).
Babies explore.
Don’t seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour.
Show little to no reaction when caregiver leaves.
Little stranger anxiety.
They did not seek comfort from the caregiver upon reunion.
State the characteristics of insecure-resistant attachment (‘Type C’).
Babies seek greater proximity than others and so explore less.
Show high levels of stranger and stranger anxiety.
Resist comfort when reunited with caregiver.
What are the strengths of Strange Situation?
Good predictive validity.
Good reliability.
How does Strange Situation have good predictive validity?
It’s outcome predicts a number of aspects of the baby’s later development
Toddlers with:
Secure attachment (‘Type B’): Better outcomes than others both in childhood and adulthood.
Better achievements in school and less involvement in bullying.
Better mental health in adulthood.
Insecure-resistant attachment (‘Type C’) and those not falling into Type A, B or C tend to have the worst outcomes.
Measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s attachment.
Give a counterpoint for Strange Situation having good predictive validity.
It measures something important associated with later development. However, not all psychologists believe this is attachment. For example, Kagan suggested that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment in the Strange Situation meaning it might not be measuring attachment.
How does Strange Situation have good reliability?
Good inter-rater reliability.
Bick et al. (2012) tested inter-rater reliability for the Strange Situation for a team of trained observers and found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases.
High level of reliability is because the procedure takes place under controlled conditions and because behaviours involve large movement therefore easy to observe.
Certain attachment type assessed isn’t subjective.
What is a limitation of Strange Situation?
Culturally biased.
Strange Situation developed in Britain and US babies may act difference in other cultures.
Japanese study by Takashi (1986) babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety classified insecure-resistant.
Anxiety response was due to the upbringing in Japan where mother-baby separation is rare.
Weakens the generalisability of the results.
