Types of attachment Flashcards
what was the aim of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
aimed to be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a child’s attachment to a caregiver
what was the procedure of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
- controlled observation
- in a room with controlled conditions (i.e laboratory)
- with a two way mirror where psychologists can observe the infants behaviour
- seven episodes that last 3 minutes
what behaviours did they use to judge attachment in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
- proximity seeking
- exploration and secure base behaviour
- stranger anxiety
- separation anxiety
- response to reunion
what is proximity seeking in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
an infant with a good attachment will stay fairly close to the caregiver
what is exploration and secure-base behaviour in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
good attachment enables a child to feel confident to explore, using the caregiver as a security base
what are the seven episodes in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
1- child encouraged to explore 2- stranger comes in and tries to interact with child 3- caregiver leaves 4- caregiver returns and stranger leaves 5- caregiver leaves child alone 6- stranger returns 7- caregiver returns
what were the findings of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
-found there were distinct patterns in the way that infants behaved and identified three main types of attachment
what are the three main types of attachment that Ainsworth found
- secure attachment
- insecure-resistant
- insecure-avoidant
what are the behaviours in secure attachment found by Ainsworth
- secure happily and regularly go back to caregiver
- moderate separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
- require and accept comfort from caregiver in reunion stage
how many toddlers are securely attached
60-75%
what are the behaviours in insecure-avoidant found by Ainsworth
- explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour
- little or no reaction the caregiver leaves
- make little effort to make contact when caregiver returns
- little or no stranger anxiety
- do not require comfort at reunion stage
how many toddlers are insecure-avoidant
20-25%
what are the behaviours in insecure-resistant found by Ainsworth
- seek greater proximity than others so explore less
- huge stranger and separation anxiety
- resist comfort when reunited with carer
how many toddlers are insecure-resistant
3% of British toddlers
what is the strange situation
a controlled observation designed to test attachment security where infants are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with a stranger and reunited with a caregiver