Types of Attachment

Question 1

What is the Strange Situation investigation?

Answer 1

• used by Ainsworth et al (1970)

- investigates differences in attachment styles

Question 2

What did the Strange Situation involve?

Answer 2

• controlled observation
• conducted in a room furnished with some toys
• infants observed in 3-minute episodes

Question 3

What was done during the 3-minute episodes?

Answer 3

• mother and baby in the room
• stranger enters
• mother leaves
• mother returns

Question 4

What was recorded during the study?

Answer 4

• proximity seeking
• stranger anxiety
• separation protest
• reunion joy

Question 5

What were the three types of attachment found?

Answer 5

• insecure-avoidant
• secure
• insecure-resistant

Question 6

What conclusions were made about insecure-avoidant?

Answer 6

• 20%
• ignores caregiver/plays independently
• no separation protest
• no reunion joy
• no stranger anxiety

Question 7

What conclusions were made about secure?

Answer 7

• 70%
• use caregiver as a safe base while exploring room
• shows separation protest
• shows reunion joy
• shows stranger anxiety - willing to show comfort when caregiver isn’t present

Question 8

What conclusions were made about insecure-resistant?

Answer 8

• 10%
• won’t explore the room
• fussy, cry more, clingy
• extreme separation protest
• no reunion joy
• extreme stranger anxiety

Question 9

Evaluate the Strange Situation experiment.

Answer 9

(+) high repeatability so high reliability, bc high control and standardised procedures

(-) culturally biased - developed in the US, e.g. germans are more independent

(-) validity of measures can be questioned - proximity seeking is insecurity instead

(-) gender biased - only uses mothers, tests attachment to one person

(-) lacks ecological validity - attachment is stronger in lab