types of attachment/strange situation Flashcards
What was the aim of Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’?
To observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver.
What type of observation procedure is the Strange Situation?
Controlled observation procedure.
What kind of environment does the Strange Situation take place in?
A room with controlled conditions, such as a laboratory.
What behaviours are used to judge attachment in the Strange Situation?
- Proximity-seeking
- Exploration and secure-base behaviour
- Stranger anxiety
- Separation anxiety
- Response to reunion
How long does each episode of the Strange Situation last?
Three minutes.
What is secure attachment (Type B)?
Babies explore happily but regularly go back to their caregiver, showing moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety.
What percentage of British babies are classified as secure attachment?
About 60-75%.
What characterizes insecure-avoidant attachment (Type A)?
Babies explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour, with little or no reaction to the caregiver’s departure.
What percentage of British babies are classified as insecure-avoidant?
About 20-25%.
What are the key features of insecure-resistant attachment (Type C)?
Babies seek greater proximity, explore less, show high levels of stranger and separation distress, and resist comfort upon reunion.
What percentage of British babies are classified as insecure-resistant?
Around 3%.
Fill in the blank: A baby with a good quality attachment will stay fairly close to a _______.
[caregiver]
True or False: Securely attached babies do not seek comfort from the caregiver upon reunion.
False.
What behaviour indicates a baby is using their caregiver as a secure base?
Exploration and secure-base behaviour.
What is a sign of separation anxiety in a baby?
Protesting at separation from the caregiver.
What does the response to reunion indicate about a baby’s attachment?
Babies who are securely attached greet the caregiver’s return with pleasure and seek comfort.
What is the first step in the procedure involving caregiver and baby in a playroom?
The baby is encouraged to explore
Tests exploration and secure base.
What does the introduction of a stranger in the playroom test?
Stranger anxiety
The stranger talks to the caregiver and approaches the baby.
What is tested when the caregiver leaves the baby with the stranger?
Separation and stranger anxiety
The baby is left alone with a stranger.
What does the caregiver’s return to the baby test?
Reunion behaviour and exploration/secure base
The stranger leaves when the caregiver returns.
What is tested when the caregiver leaves the baby alone?
Separation anxiety
The baby is left by themselves.
What does the return of the stranger test?
Stranger anxiety
The stranger comes back while the caregiver is absent.
What is tested when the caregiver is reunited with the baby?
Reunion behaviour
The caregiver’s return occurs after the stranger leaves.
What is one strength of the Strange Situation?
Good predictive validity
It predicts aspects of the baby’s later development, such as better achievement in school and mental health in adulthood.
What outcomes are associated with Type B (secure) attachment in children?
Better outcomes include:
* Better achievement in school
* Less involvement in bullying
* Better mental health in adulthood
Studies by McCormick et al. (2016) and Ward et al. (2006) highlight these outcomes.
What is suggested about babies assessed with insecure-resistant attachment?
They tend to have the worst outcomes in development
This includes poorer mental health and social outcomes.
Who proposed that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behavior?
Jerome Kagan (1982)
He suggested that this could mean the Strange Situation may not measure attachment.
What is a strength regarding the reliability of the Strange Situation?
Good inter-rater reliability
Agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases was found by Johanna Bick et al. (2012).
What does good inter-rater reliability indicate about the Strange Situation?
It indicates that attachment type does not depend on subjective judgments
Observations are made under controlled conditions, making behaviors easy to observe.
What is a limitation of the Strange Situation regarding cultural contexts?
It may be culture-bound
Developed in Britain and the US, it may not be valid in other cultures.
What did Keiko Takahashi (1986) find in her Japanese study regarding attachment?
Babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety
This led to a disproportionate classification as insecure-resistant.
What does Takahashi (1990) suggest about the high anxiety response in Japanese babies?
It was not due to high rates of attachment insecurity but to the unusual nature of mother-baby separation in Japan
Separation is very rare in Japanese culture.
Fill in the blank: The Strange Situation measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s _______.
development
True or False: The Strange Situation has been shown to have poor inter-rater reliability.
False
It has good inter-rater reliability with 94% agreement among observers.
