Ainsworth's Strange Situation

• What are the variations in how young children interact with their mothers?

  Some are independent, others are clingy
• What is the focus of Mary Ainsworth's research?

  To categorize early attachment styles in infants
• What technique did Ainsworth develop to assess attachment?

  The Strange Situation
• What did Ainsworth's research find about attachment styles across cultures?

  Similarities and differences in attachment styles
• What behaviors indicate the strength of an infant's attachment to their caregiver?

  Closeness, anxiety around strangers, distress on separation
• What does using the mother as a secure base mean?

  Infants return to their mother for reassurance
• What is one behavior of insecure avoidant (Type A) infants?

  They explore freely without seeking their mother
• How do insecure avoidant infants react to strangers?

  They show limited stranger anxiety
• What is the typical reaction of insecure avoidant infants upon their mother's return?

  They display indifference
• What does Ainsworth suggest about mothers of insecure avoidant infants?

  They often show less responsiveness to needs
• How do secure (Type B) infants behave in the Strange Situation?

  They explore confidently but return to mother
• What is the reaction of secure infants when their mother leaves?

  They show distress but recover quickly
• What characterizes insecure resistant (Type C) infants?

  They are clingy and show high anxiety
• How do insecure resistant infants react when their mother returns?

  They may seek closeness but push away
• What does Ainsworth's Strange Situation assess?

  Infant and mother responses in various stages
• What is the first stage of the Strange Situation?

  Mother and infant enter a room with toys
• What is assessed when a stranger enters the room?

  Infant's stranger anxiety
• What is observed when the mother leaves the room?

  Infant's separation anxiety
• What is observed when the mother returns after separation?

  Infant's reunion behavior
• What is the final stage of the Strange Situation?

  Mother returns and reunion behavior is observed
• What percentage of infants were securely attached in Ainsworth's study?

  Approximately 66% of the sample
• What percentage of infants were insecure avoidant in Ainsworth's study?

  22% of the sample
• What percentage of infants were insecure resistant in Ainsworth's study?

  12% of the sample
• What does Ainsworth's research suggest about maternal sensitivity?

  It shapes attachment types in infants
• What is a strength of the Strange Situation as a study?

  It allows for replication and comparison
• What is a limitation of the Strange Situation?

  It may be culture-bound and misinterpreted
• What does the term imposed etic refer to?

  Applying one culture's norms to all cultures
• What is Kagan's perspective on attachment styles?

  They may reflect biological temperament instead
• What did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's meta-analysis find about secure attachment?

  It was the most prevalent type across cultures
• How does avoidant attachment vary across cultures?

  More frequent in individualistic Western cultures
• What is a limitation of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's meta-analysis?

  Some countries had only one study included
• What does the term cultural bias refer to in attachment studies?

  Assuming one culture's norms are superior
• What is a significant finding regarding family dynamics over time?

  They have changed significantly in recent decades
• What did Simonelli's study find about modern Italian infants?

  Reduction in securely attached infants
• What did the Takahashi study reveal about Japanese infants?

  They had intense reactions to separation
• What does the dominance of secure attachment suggest about parenting?

  It may be an inherited biological drive
• What is a limitation of the Strange Situation's controlled setting?

  It doesn't mimic the familiarity of home
• What is the impact of a large sample size in Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's meta-analysis?

  It dilutes the impact of poorly conducted studies
• What is the risk of assuming one culture's attachment norms apply globally?

  It risks cultural bias in interpretations
• What is the significance of the findings from the two Israeli studies?

  They show diversity within attachment cultures