types of attachment - ainsworth's 'strange situation' Flashcards
who developed it & when
mary ainsworth & silvia bell (1970)
aim
be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver
describe the ‘strange situation’
- controlled observation designed to test attachment security in babies
- they are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with stranger & reunited with caregiver
how did the researchers observe the behaviour
via a two-way mirror and/or cameras
name the 5 behaviours used to judge the attachment
- proximity seeking
- exploration & secure-base behaviour
- stranger anxiety
- separation anxiety
- response to reunion
define proximity seeking
baby with good quality attachment will stay fairly close to caregiver
define exploration & secure-base behaviour
good attachment enables a baby to feel confident to explore, using caregiver as secure base
eg. a point of contact will make them feel safe
define stranger anxiety
one of signs of becoming closely attached is displaying anxiety when a stranger approaches
define separation anxiety
another sign of becoming attached is to protest at separation from caregiver
define response to reunion
babies who are securely attached greet caregiver’s return with pleasure & seek comfort
how many episodes were in the procedure
7
how long did each episode last
3 minutes
describe each episode & what it was testing
caregiver & baby enter unfamiliar playroom
1. baby is encouraged to explore = exploration & secure base
2. stranger comes in, talks to caregiver & approaches the baby = stranger anxiety
3. caregiver leaves baby & stranger together = separation & stranger anxiety
4. caregiver returns & stranger leaves = reunion behaviour & exploration/secure-base
5. caregiver leaves baby alone = separation anxiety
6. stranger returns = stranger anxiety
7. caregiver returns & is reunited with baby = reunion behaviour
who identified 3 main types of attachment & when
ainsworth et. al (1978)
name the 3 main types of attachment
type A: insecure-avoidant attachment
type B: secure attachment
type C: insecure-resistant attachment
describe type A: insecure-avoidant attachment
- babies explore freely & don’t seek proximity/show secure-base behaviour
- show little/no reaction when caregiver leaves & little stranger anxiety
- make little effort to make contact when caregiver returns & may even avoid it
describe type B: secure attachment
- babies explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver (proximity-seeking & secure-base behaviour)
- usually show moderate separation distress & stranger anxiety
- require & accept comfort from caregiver in reunion stage
describe type C: insecure-resistant attachment
- seek greater proximity than others = explore less
- high levels of stranger & separation anxiety
- resist comfort when reunited with caregiver
what percentage of (british) babies are classified as insecure-avoidant attachment
20-25%
what percentage of (british) babies are classified as secure attachment
60-75%
what percentage of (british) babies are classified as insecure-resistant attachment
3%
evaluate ainsworth’s strange situation AO3
+)
P: good predictive validity - outcome predicts number of aspects of babies later development
E: lots of research has shown that that babies/toddlers assessed as secure (type b) tend to have better outcome than others, both in later childhood & adulthood. in childhood, this includes higher academic success & less involvment with bullying ( mcCormick et al. 2016, kokkinos 2007). securely attached babies also have better mental health in adulthood (ward et al. 2006). those assessed as being insecure-resistant & those not falling into type a/b/c tend to have worst outcomes
T: suggests strange situation measures something real & meaningful in babies development
COUNTERPOINT
-)
P: measures something more important that’s associated with later development but some psychologists believe this isn’t attachment
E: eg. kagan (1982) suggested that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behaviour in strange situation & later development
T: strange situation may not accurately measure attachment
+)
P: good inter-rater reliability
E: johanna bick et. al (2012) testes inter-rater reliability for the strange situation for a team of trained observers & the agreement on attachment type was in 94% of cases. this high level of reliability may be due to the controlled conditions in which the procedure takes place & because behaviours (eg. proximity seeking) involve large movements and thus, are easy to observe. for instance, anxious babies cry/crawl away from strangers
T: we can be confident that the attachment type assessed by the strange situation doesn’t rely/depend on subjective judgements
-)
P: may not be valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts (culture-bound)
E: the strange situation was developed in britian/the US and thus, may be culture-bound. one reason for this is babies may have different experiences in different cultures which may affect their responses to the strange situation. for example, takahashi (1986) conducted a study within japan where the babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety & so a disproportionate number were categorised as insecure-resistant. takahashi (1990) suggests that the anxiety response wasn’t due to high rates of attachment insecurity but the unusual nature of the babies experiences in japan where mother-baby separation is very rare
T: means it’s difficult to know whether the strange situation is measuring what it intends to outside of europe & the US
+)
P: practical application
E: used in court proceedings when a mother/father wants to have contact with their child. if the child is found to have a secure attachment with their non-custodial parent, then it would be in the best interest of the child to establish regular direct contact
T: strange situation can be used to help children develop their relationships with both caregivers, if appropriate
-)
P: ethical issues
E: child is put under stress (separation/stranger anxiety) meaning the study has broken the ethical guideline of protection from harm/of participants. however, the separation episodes were curtailed prematurely if the child became too stressed
T: it still broke the ethical guideline
