Types of Attachment Flashcards
What is a strange situation?
A controlled observation designed to test attachment security babies are cyst on their response and they are left in an unfamiliar room with a stranger, alone and being reunited with a caregiver
what is secure attachment?
The most desirable attachment type associated with psychologically healthy outcomes. This is shown by moderate stranger and separation anxiety and ease of comfort at reunion.
What is insecure avoidant attachment?
an attachment category characterised by low anxiety but weak attachment, when they meet a stranger there is low anxiety and little response. when they reunite with the caregiver might even avoid.
what is insecure resistant attachment?
An attachment type categorised by strong attachment in high anxiety, when they meet a stranger they have high levels of separation anxiety and when they meet with their caregiver they are comforted.
what is the procedure of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
It is a controlled observation designed to measure the attachment a baby displays towards a caregiver. It takes place in controlled conditions i.e. a laboratory with a two-way mirror and cameras which psychologist can observe the babies behaviour
Explain the procedure episodes of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
Beginning caregiver and baby enter an unfamiliar playroom
1. Baby is encouraged to explore.
2. Stranger comes and talks to caregiver and approaches the baby
3. Caregiver leaves baby and stranger together.
4. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves.
5. Caregiver leaves the baby alone.
6. Stranger returns.
7. Caregiver returns and reunited with the baby.
What are the findings of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
- Secure attachment – babies explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver they showed moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety. They accept comfort from the caregiver in reunion stage 60 to 75% of British babies are classified as secure.
- Insecure avoiding attachment – babies explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour show little or no reaction. when caregiver leaves and little strange anxiety. Make little effort to make eye contact when caregiver returns. 20 to 25% of British babies.
- insecure resistant attachment – seek greater proximity than others and explore less high levels of stranger and separation distress but resist comforts when reunited with caregiver around 3% of British babies
What is one strength of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
It has good predictive validity as it predicts aspects of the babies later development babies and toddlers assessed in secure attachment tends to have better outcomes than others in childhood and adulthood. They are involved in less bullying and have better mental health in adulthood. Those babies and insecure resistance attachment tend to have the worst outcomes
What is a further strength of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
Has good inter-rater reliability bick tested the inter-rater reliability for strange situation and agreed on attachment type and 94% of cases. This high level of reliability may be because the procedure was taken under controlled conditions and behaviours involve large movements and therefore easy to observe for example, cry and cruel from the strangers shows that they are anxious.
what is one limitation of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
It may not be valid to measure attachment in different cultures for example it was developed in Britain and in the US but this is only valid for certain cultures. This is because they all have different experiences for example a Japanese study concluded that babies have high levels of separation anxiety and so a disproportionate number were classified as insecure resistant. They suggest it was not due to high rate of attachment insecurity but because of the Japanese culture when mother baby separation is very rare.
