types of attachment Flashcards
Ainsworth strange situation
developed by Ainsworth and Bell
aim was to be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality go a baby’s attachment to a caregiver
procedure
controlled observation
designed to measure the security of attachment a baby’s displays towards a caregiver
takes place in a room with quite controlled conditions (laboratory)
two way mirror and cameras through which psychologists can observe the baby’s behaviour
the behaviours used to judge attachment
proximity-seeking - a baby with a good quality attachment will stay fairly close to a caregiver
exploration and secure base behaviour - good attachment enables a baby to feel confident to explore using their caregiver as a secure base
stranger anxiety- one of the signs of becoming closely attached is a display of anxiety when a stranger approaches
separation anxiety- another sign of becoming attached is to protest at segregation from the caregiver
response to reunion - babies who are securely attached greet the caregiver return with pleasure and seek comfort
seven stages in the procedure
each stage lasts three minutes
beginning - caregiver and baby enter an unfamiliar playroom
1.The baby is encouraged to explore - test exploration and secure base
2.A stranger comes in talks to the caregiver and approaches the baby - test stranger anxiety
3.the caregiver leaves the baby and stranger together - test separation and stranger anxiety
4.the caregiver returns and stranger leaves - test reunion behaviour and exploration/secure base
5.the caregiver leaves the baby alone- test separation anxiety
6.the stranger returns - test stranger anxiety
7.The caregiver returns and is reunited with the baby - test reunion behaviour
findings - types of attachment
found that there were distinct patterns in the way babies behaved
identified three main types of attachment
secure attachment (type b) - these babies explore happily but regularly go back to their caregiver
(proximity-seeking and secure base behaviour)
they usually show moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety
securely attachment babies require and accept comfort from the caregiver in the reunion stage
about 60-75% of british babies are classified as secure
findings - types of attachment
insecure-avoidant attachment - type A
these babies explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour
they show little to no reaction when their caregiver leaves and little stranger anxiety
they make little effort to make contact when the caregiver returns and may even avoid such contact
about 20-25% of british babies are classified as insecure-avoidant
findings - types of attachment
insecure-resistant attachment Type C
these babies seek greater proximity than others and so explore less
they show high levels of stranger and separate distress but they resist comfort when reunited with their caregiver
around 3% of british babies are classified as insecure resistant
strenght
good predictive validity
outcome predicts a number of aspects of the baby’s later development
a large body of research has shown that babies and toddlers assessed as type B (secure) tend to have better outcomes than others both in later childhood and in adulthood
In childhood this includes better achievement in school and less involvement in bullying
securely attached babies also tend to go on to have netter mental health in adulthood
those babies assessed as having insecure-resistant attachment and those not falling into types A B C tend to have the worst outcomes
this suggests that the strange situation measure something real and meaningful in a babies development
strength
good reliability
good inter-rate reliability
Brick et al tested inter-rater reliability for the strange situation for a team of trained observes
found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases
this high level of reliability may be because the procedure takes place under controlled conditions and because behaviours (such as proximity-seeking and stranger anxiety) involve large movements and are therefore easy to observe
example - anxious babies cry and crawl away from strangers
this means that we can be confident that attachment types as assess by the strange situation foes not depend on subjective judgements
limitation
the test may be culture bound
may not be a valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts
the strange situation was developed in britain and the US
may be culture bound
one reason for this is that babies shave different experiences in different upturns and these experiences may affect their responses to the strange situations
example - japanese stady by keillor takahashi babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety and so a disporationate number were classified as insecure resitiant
Takahashi suggest that this anxiety response was not due to hugh rates of attachment insecurity but to the unusual nature of the experience in Japan where mother-baby separation is very rare
This means that it is very difficult to know what the strange situation is measuring when used outside europe and the US
