types of attachment (strange situation)

Question 1

strange situation definition

Answer 1

a controlled observation designed to test attachment security. babies are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with a stranger and being reunited with the caregiver

Question 2

secure attachment definition

Answer 2

generally thought of as the most desirable attachment type, associated with psychologically health outcomes, in the strange situation this is shown by moderate stranger and separation anxiety and ease of comfort at reunion

Question 3

insecure-avoidant attachment definition

Answer 3

an attachment type characterised by low anxiety but weak attachment. in the strange situation this is shown by low stranger and separation anxiety and little response to reunion, maybe even an avoidance of the caregiver

Question 4

insecure-resistant attachment definition

Answer 4

an attachment type characterised by strong attachment and high anxiety. in the strange situation this is shown by high levels of stranger and seperation anxiety and by resistance to being comforted at the reunion

Question 5

who did the strange situation

Answer 5

Ainsworth and Bell

Question 6

when did Ainsworth and Bell do the strange situation

Answer 6

1970

Question 7

what was the aim of the strange situation

Answer 7

aim was to be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver

Question 8

what type of observation is the strange situation

Answer 8

controlled observation

Question 9

what is the srtange situation designed to measure

Answer 9

the security of attachment a baby displays towards a caregiver.

Question 10

where does the strange situation take place

Answer 10

in a room with quite controlled conditions (such as a laboratory) with a two way mirror and/or cameras which psychologists can observe the baby’s behaviour

Question 11

what were the 5 behaviours used to judge attachment

Answer 11

-proximity seeking
-exploration and secure base behaviour
-stranger anxiety
-separation anxiety
-response to reunion

Question 12

what is seen for proximity seeking

Answer 12

a baby with a good quality attachment will stay fairly close to the caregiver

Question 13

what is seen for exploration and secure base behaviour

Answer 13

good attachment enables a baby to fell confident to explore, using their caregiver as a secure base (point of contact which will make them feel self)

Question 14

what is seen for stranger anxiety

Answer 14

one sign of becoming closely attached is a display of anxiety when a stranger approaches

Question 15

what is seen for separation anxiety

Answer 15

sign of becoming attached is to protest at separation form the caregiver

Question 16

what is seen for response reunion

Answer 16

babies who are securely attached greet the caregiver’s return with pleasure and seek comfort

Question 17

how many episodes does the strange situation have and how long do they last

Answer 17

7 each lasting 3 mins

Question 18

what is the first stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 18

1-baby is encouraged to explore –> tests exploration and secure base

Question 19

what is the second stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 19

2-stanger comes in, talks to the caregiver and approaches the baby –> tests stranger anxiety

Question 20

what is the third stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 20

3-caregiver leaves the baby and stranger together –> tests separation and stranger anxiety

Question 21

what is the fourth stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 21

4-cargeiver returns and the stranger leaves —> test reunions behaviour and exploration/secure base

Question 22

what is the fifth stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 22

5-caregiver leaves baby alone –> tests separation anxiety

Question 23

what is the sixth stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 23

6-stanger returns –> tests stranger anxiety

Question 24

what is the seventh stage of the strange situation and what does it test

Answer 24

7-caregiver returns and is reunited with the baby –> tests reunion behaviour

Question 25

what did Ainsworth et al find

Answer 25

identifies 3 main types of attachment
-secure attachment
-insecure-avoidant attachment
-insecure-resistant attachment

Question 26

when did the strange situation happen

Answer 26

1978

Question 27

what is type B

Answer 27

secure attachment

Question 28

what is type A

Answer 28

insecure-avoidant attachment

Question 29

what is type C

Answer 29

insecure-resistant attachment

Question 30

what is secure attachment (type B)

Answer 30

babies explore happily but regular go back to their caregiver (proximity-seeking and secure-base behvaiour). they usually show moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety. securely attached babies require and accept comfort from the caregiver in the reunion stage. 60-75% of British babies are classified as secure

Question 31

how many British babies are secure attachment (type B)

Answer 31

60-75% of British babies are classified as secure

Question 32

what is insecure-avoidant attachment (type A)

Answer 32

babies explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour. they show little ore no reaction when the 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

Question 33

how may British babies are insecure-avoidant attachment (type A)

Answer 33

about 20-25% of British babies are classified as insecure-avoidant

Question 34

what is insecure-resistant attachment (type C)

Answer 34

babies seek greater proximity than others and so explore less. show high levels of stranger and separation distress but resist comfort when reunited with their caregiver. around 3% of British babies are classified as insecure-resistant

Question 35

how many British babies are insecure-resistant attachment (type C)

Answer 35

around 3% of British babies are classified as insecure-resistant

Question 36

strength of the strange situation and types of attachment - good predictive validity

Answer 36

-outcome predicts a number of aspects of the baby’s later development
-a large body of research shows babies and toddlers assessed as type B tend to have better outcomes than others, both in childhood and adulthood, in childhood this includes better achievement in school and less involvement in bullying (McCormick at al 2016, Kokkinos 2007). securely attached babies also tend to go on to have better mental health in adulthood (ward et al 2006). those babies assessed as having insecure-resistant attachment and those not falling into types A,B or C tend to have the worst outcomes –> suggests the stage situation may not actually measure attachment

Question 37

limitation of the strange situation and types of attachment - counterpoint to good predictive validity

Answer 37

-strange situation clearly measures something important that is associated with later development. however, not all psychologists believe this something is attachment. for example, Kagan 1982 suggested that genetically -influenced anxiety levels could not account for variations in attachment behvaiour in the strange situation and later development –> means that the strange situation may not actually measure attachment

Question 38

strength of the strange situation and types of attachment - good reliability

Answer 38

-good inter-rater reliability
-Bick et al 2012 tested inter-rater reliability for the strange situation for a team of trained observers and found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases. this high label 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. for example, anxious babies cry and crawl away from strangers –> means that we can be confident that attachment type as assessed by the strange situation does not depend on subjective judgements

Question 39

limitation of the strange situation and types of attachment - test may be culture bound

Answer 39

-may not be a valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts
-strange situation was developed in Britain and the US. it may be culture-bound. one reason for this is babies have different experiences in different cultures and these experiences may affect their responses to the strange situation. for example, in one Japanese study by Takahashi 1986, babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety and so a disproportionate amount were classified as insecure-resistant. Takahashi 1990 suggests that this anxiety response was not due to high rates of attachment insecurity but to the unusual nature of the experience in Japan where mother-baby separation is very rare –> means that it is very difficult to know what the strange situation is measuring when used outside Europe and the US

Question 40

evaluation of the strange situation and types of attachment - other attachment types

Answer 40

-Main and Solomon 1986 identified a 4th category of attachment - a disorganised or type D attachment, a mix of resistant and avoidant behaviours
-however, type D babies are unusual and have generally experiences some form of severe neglect or abuse. most will go on to develop psychological disorders by adulthood