Types of Attachment

Question 1

Outline the procedure of Ainsworth’s strange situation.

Answer 1

8 episodes which lasted 3 minutes.

1. The child is placed on the floor and encouraged to explore.
   Tests exploration and secure base.
2. Stranger comes in the unfamiliar playroom, speaks to the caregiver
   and then approaches the baby.
   Tests stranger anxiety.
3. CG leaves baby alone with the stranger.
   Tests separation and stranger anxiety.
4. CG returns and stranger leaves.
   Tests reunion behaviour and secure base.
5. CG leaves child alone in the room.
   Tests separation anxiety.
6. Stranger returns to room.
   Tests stranger anxiety.
7. Stranger leaves and CG returns to playroom.
   Tests reunion behaviour.

Question 2

What is meant by a secure attachment ?

Answer 2

When a baby explores happily but regularly goes back to their CG.
Show moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety.
Accept comfort from CG in reunion stage.

Question 3

What is meant by an insecure-avoidant attachment ?

Answer 3

When a baby explores freely but does not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour.
Does not show separation or stranger anxiety.
Little effort to contact CG when they return and show no reaction when they leave.

Question 4

What is meant by an insecure-resistant attachment ?

Answer 4

When a baby seeks proximity and so explores less.
High levels of stranger and separation anxiety.
Resist comfort from CG when reunited.

Question 5

What was the aim of Ainsworth’s strange situation ?

Answer 5

To assess how securely attached a child was to its CG, and if its insecurely attached, which type of insecure attachment it has.

Question 6

What is one strength of the strange situation?

Answer 6

The Strange-Situation has been found to be a reliable procedure.

Bick et al tested inter-rater reliability for the strange situation and found that when trained, there was an agreement on attachment type on 94 percent of cases among observers.

suggests procedure is well controlled with standardised procedures and the behaviours are clear with no inference needed which reduces the subjectivity of the observation.

As a result, the Strange Situation is an accurate procedure to measure attachment type as attachment types assessed by the SS are not based on the observers own subjective interpretation

Question 7

What are 2 weaknesses of the strange situation?

Answer 7

1. Only measured the relationship type with one attachment figure.

Only used mothers and their child - wrongly assumes child will be closer to their mother than any other adult. This means the wrong attachment type can be identified (the child may not be strongly attached to their mother but securely attached to their father).

Therefore lacks internal validity as it does not always correctly measure a child’s attachment type with their primary CG.

2. Lacks population validity.

Primarily based on western culture - study carried out in America.
Suffers from cultural bias and so findings cannot be generalised to other populations.
Findings are culture bound and lack validity.