types of attachment

Question 1

Ainsworth’s strange situation : AIM

Answer 1

to observe 106 infants aged between 9-18 months and assess them for quality of attachment

Question 2

Ainsworth’s strange situation : PROCEDURE

Answer 2

• explored 4 behaviours : exploration behaviour, proximity seeking behaviour, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety and reunion behaviour
• there were 8 stages :
  stage 1 = mother and child enter
  stage 2 = the child is encouraged to explore by the mother
  stage 3 = stranger enters and attempts to interact with child
  stage 4 = mother leaves, leaving stranger and child
  stage 5 = mother enters and stranger leave
  stage 6 = mother leaves
  stage 7 = stranger returns
  stage 8 = mother returns and interacts with child

Question 3

Ainsworth’s strange situation : FINDINGS

Answer 3

children were classified as follows :
- 70% secure
- 15% avoidant insecure
- 15% resistant insecure

Question 4

Ainsworth’s strange situation : CONCLUSION

Answer 4

the way the mother acts towards the child and the child’s needs will have an impact on the child’s behaviour = the Maternal Sensitivity Hypothesis

Question 5

attachment types

Answer 5

Type A = insecure avoidant
Type B = secure
Type C = insecure resistant

Question 6

type A insecure avoidant

Answer 6

• shows willingness to explore, indifference to mother’s departure and did not seek comfort from her when she returned
• rejected stranger’s attempts to comfort them but had little stranger anxiety
• kept a distance and avoided closeness
• mother was uninterested in the infant, not caring for their needs

Question 7

type B secure

Answer 7

• used mother as a safe base and showed moderate distress when she left
• welcomed her back on return
• moderate stranger anxiety and treated them very differently to their mother
• mother was sensitive to the child’s needs

Question 8

type C insecure resistant

Answer 8

• explored less than other and very upset at separation
• not easily comforted when the mother returned and was angry at her
• alternated between seeking closeness and wanting distance
• had high stranger anxiety
• mother interested in the child but misunderstood it’s needs

Question 9

evaluation of Ainsworth’s strange situation

Answer 9

type D
ethnocentric
validity

Question 10

type D : EVALUATION OF AINSWORTH’S STRANGE SITUATION

Answer 10

Soloman & Main
- argue that simply putting infants into 3 categories is reductionist
- they found a 4th attachment type = disorganised attachment

Question 11

ethnocentric : EVALUATION OF AINSWORTH’S STRANGE SITUATION

Answer 11

• cross cultural research suggests that the Strange Situation use Western values to judge attachment types
• demonstrates imposed etic

Question 12

validity : EVALUATION OF AINSWORTH’S STRANGE SITUATION

Answer 12

• the laboratory setting was unfamiliar
• the mothers may have behaved differently when they were at home