Types of Attachment: Strange Situation Flashcards
outline a study into types of attachment (procedure)
8
the Strange Situation devised by Ainsworth
paradigm — the traditional method for testing and assessing attachment type
laboratory observation
consists of 8 episodes, each designed to test a certain behaviour such as stranger anxiety or reunion behaviour (e.g. parent leaves the room, a stranger enters and offers comfort, which tests separation and stranger anxiety)
observed infant responses to separation from caregiver, reunion with caregiver, response to stranger and the new environment (the new environment encourages exploration and thus tests the secure base concept)
a group of observers collected data by looking at the infants through a one-way mirror or at video footage
they recorded what the infant was doing every 15 seconds using behavioural categories, such as proximity/contact seeking behaviours
scored intensity of infants’ behaviour on a scale of 1 to 7
outline a study into types of attachment (findings)
6
found three main patterns of behaviour which were categorised into three different types of attachment…
- insecure avoidant attachment (TYPE A) — 22% of infants had this attachment type
- secure attachment (TYPE B) — 66%
- insecure resistant attachment (TYPE C) — 12%
there are three main types of attachment — secure attachments are the most common, they are the norm, while insecure resistant attachments are the least common
each attachment type has different characteristics
insecure avoidant attachment
7
infants tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others
show little response to separation from their attachment figure
do not seek the proximity to their caregiver upon reunion, often actually avoiding contact
show little or no tendency to cling or resist being put down when picked up
very willing to explore, with or without their caregiver present
low stranger anxiety, indifferent to unfamiliar people
22% of infants tested were insecure avoidant
secure attachment
7
infants have harmonious and cooperative interactions with their caregiver
strong attachment developed as a result of sensitive responding by the caregiver to the infant’s needs
unlikely to cry if the caregiver leaves the room but do show distress when left with a stranger
seek close bodily contact with the caregiver when anxious and are easily soothed by their caregiver
initially reluctant to leave the caregiver’s side but use their caregiver as a secure base from which to explore — showing an ability to function independently
comfortable with and seek social interaction and intimacy
most common attachment type, 66% of infants tested fell into this category
insecure resistant attachment
5
simultaneously seeks and resists intimacy and social interaction
respond to separation from their caregiver with immediate and intense distress
high stranger anxiety
display conflicting desires for and against contact upon reunion with their caregiver — may angrily resist being picked up whilst also trying other ways to maintain proximity
least common attachment type, only 12% of infants had this attachment
x3 evaluation points
overlooks a fourth type of attachment
laboratory experiment
low internal reliability
EVALUATION
overlooks a fourth type of attachment
6
the strange situation suggests that there are three types of attachment, thus overlooking a fourth type
other researchers have analysed over 200 strange situation videotapes and proposed a fourth type of attachment called insecure disorganised (type D) attachment
this attachment type is characterised by an inconsistent pattern of social behaviour, in other words some infants do not have a consistent attachment type and do not fit into one of the three categories established by Ainsworth
for example, they may show very strong attachment behaviour which is then followed by avoidance or fearfulness of their caregiver
Ijzendoorn et al supported this notion by conducting a meta analysis of nearly 80 studies and finding that 15% of infants had a type D attachment
by overlooking this fourth type of attachment, the strange situation may be providing an inaccurate explanation of attachment types and should be viewed with caution when being used to explain attachment
EVALUATION
laboratory experiment
6
a strength of the strange situation is that it was conducted in a laboratory where variables could be precisely controlled and measured
this reduces the likelihood of variables interfering with results and ensures the findings are valid
therefore, the strange situation may have high internal validity and may be very useful in explaining the different types of attachment
however, laboratory experiments often have low ecological validity because behaviour in artificial environments may not be representative of how infants or their caregivers would behave in real life
making it harder to generalise findings to real life
therefore, the study may be limited in its ability to explain the types of attachment
EVALUATION
low internal validity
5
the strange situation may not be measuring what it is intending to measure
it may merely be measuring the quality of one particular relationship rather than actually assessing the infant’s attachment type
Main et al found that children behaved differently depending on which parent they were with
suggests that the strange situation classification of attachment type may not be valid because they are assessing one relationship rather than the personal characteristics lodged in the infant
therefore, the strange situation may have limited usefulness in explaining the different types of attachment and should be viewed with caution when doing so
