Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’

• What was the aim of Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’?

  To investigate attachment styles in infants
• How many infants participated in the study?

  100 infants
• What type of room was used for the study?

  A standardized room with a one-way mirror
• Who was used as the Primary Caregiver in this study?

  Only mothers
• What was the first step in the procedure?

  The mother and infant played together
• What happens when the stranger enters the room?

  The stranger attempts to interact with the infant
• What occurs when the mother leaves the room?

  The mother leaves while the stranger is present
• What are the five behaviors used to judge attachment type?

  Proximity seeking, exploration, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, reunion response
• What percentage of infants were classified as Insecure Avoidant?

  20-25%
• What percentage of infants were classified as Secure?

  60-75%
• What percentage of infants were classified as Insecure Resistant?

  3%
• What does the Caregiver Sensitivity Hypothesis suggest?

  The mother's behavior predicts attachment type
• How do mothers of secure infants behave?

  They show high sensitivity to the infant's needs
• How do mothers of insecure-avoidant infants behave?

  They do not respond appropriately to the infant's needs
• How do mothers of insecure-resistant infants behave?

  They respond inconsistently to the infant's needs
• What is disorganized attachment?

  A mix of avoidance and resistant behaviors
• What are the observed behaviours for each attachment type?

  • Type A (Insecure-Avoidant):
  • Proximity: Does not explore
  • Exploration: Explores freely
  • Stranger Anxiety: Low
  • Separation Distress: Low
  • Reunion Behaviour: Ignores mother

  
  

  • Type B (Secure):
  • Proximity: Explores happily
  • Exploration: Uses mother as a safe base
  • Stranger Anxiety: Moderate
  • Separation Distress: Moderate
  • Reunion Behaviour: Accepts comfort

  
  

  • Type C (Insecure-Resistant):
  • Proximity: Does not explore
  • Exploration: Does not explore
  • Stranger Anxiety: High
  • Separation Distress: High
  • Reunion Behaviour: Approaches mother but resists comfort
• What is the predictive validity of the Strange Situation?

  Secure babies have better outcomes later
• What did Bick et al (2012) find about inter-rater reliability?

  Agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases
• Why is the Strange Situation considered reliable?

  Controlled conditions and observable behaviors
• What is the ecological validity of the Strange Situation?

  It may be culture-bound and not universal
• What did Kagan (1982) suggest about attachment behavior?

  Genetically-influenced anxiety levels affect behavior
• What did Takahashi (1986) find about Japanese infants?

  High levels of separation anxiety observed
• Why were many Japanese infants classified as insecure-resistant?

  Mother-baby separation is rare in Japan
• What does the Strange Situation measure?

  It measures attachment related to development
• What is a strength for Ainsworth’s research?

  Good Predictive Validity

  • Research has shown that babies assessed as secure tend to have better outcomes than others, both in later childhood and in adulthood
  • Securely attached babies tend to have better academic achievement, less involvement in bullying and go on to have better mental health in adulthood, while those who are insecure-resistant or not falling in Type A, B or C tend to have the worst outcomes
  • This suggests that the Strange Situation measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s development
• What is a strength for Ainsworth’s research?

  Good Reliability

  • Bick et al (2012) tested inter-rater reliability for the Strange Situation and found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases
  • This high level of reliability may be because the procedure takes place under controlled conditions and behaviours involve large movements and are therefore easy to observe
  • This means that we can be confident that attachment type as assessed by the Strange Situation does not depend on subjective judgements
• What is a limitation for Ainsworth’s research?

  Does it Actually Measure Attachment?

  • The Strange Situation measures something important that is associated with later development, but not all psychologists believe it is attachment
  • For example, Kagan (1982) suggested that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variation in attachment behaviour in the Strange Situation and later development
  • This means that the Strange Situation may not actually measure attachment 
• What is a limitation for Ainsworth’s research?

  The Test May Be Culture-Bound

  • The Strange Situation may be culture-bound, as babies in different cultures have different experiences, which affect their responses to the Strange Situation
  • For example, Takahashi (1986) showed that babies displayed high levels of separation anxiety, so a disproportionate number were classified as Type C, but Takahashi (1990) later suggested that this was due to mother-baby separation being rare in Japan
  • This means that it is difficult to know what the Strange Situation is measuring when used outside of the US