Evaluation

• Meaningful outcome

  One strength of the Strange Situation is its predictive validity, as it provides meaningful insights into a baby’s future development. Research evidence shows that toddlers classified as securely attached (Type B) tend to have better outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. For example, McCormick et al. (2016) found that securely attached children are more likely to achieve better academic success and experience fewer issues with bullying.
• Similarly, Ward et al. (2006) showed that securely attached infants are more likely to have better maternal health in adulthood. In contrast, insecure-resistant attachment is associated with worse outcomes, such as increased likelihood of bullying. This suggests that the Strange Situation offers valuable information about a child’s social and emotional trajectory, helping to identify at-risk children and guide early intervention strategies.
• However, it is important to acknowledge that these predictions are not absolute and may be influenced by other factors, such as life events or cultural differences, which can impact attachment and later development.
• Counterpoint

  However, Ainsworth assumed that the main factor influencing separation and stranger anxiety in the Strange Situation was the quality of attachment between the caregiver and child. Kagan (1982), however, proposed an alternative explanation: that a child’s temperament, which is their genetically influenced personality, plays a more significant role in determining their behaviour during the procedure.
• This challenges the validity of the Strange Situation as a measure of attachment, as it may not be accurately assessing the quality of attachment, but instead reflecting individual differences in temperament. If temperament acts as a confounding variable, it undermines the ability of the Strange Situation to isolate and measure attachment behaviours as intended. This suggests that the findings may not solely reflect the caregiver-child relationship, thereby reducing the internal validity of the procedure.
• Inter-observer reliability

  A further strength of the Strange Situation is its high inter-rater reliability. Bick et al. (2012) found an agreement rate of 94% among a team of trained observers. This high level of reliability is likely due to the controlled nature of the procedure and the observable, clear-cut behaviours it measures, such as proximity-seeking and stranger anxiety, which involve distinct, large movements that are easy to identify.
• Consequently, we can be confident that the classification of attachment types is not influenced by subjective judgments but is instead consistently determined across different observers.
• Low ecological validity

  A limitation of the Strange Situation is that it was conducted in a highly artificial environment, which reduces its ecological validity. The unfamiliar laboratory setting may have caused children to behave unnaturally, potentially altering their typical attachment behaviours.
• Additionally, mothers were aware they were being observed, which could have led to social desirability bias, as they might have tried to present themselves as “good mothers.” This is a significant limitation, as it suggests the Strange Situation may not accurately measure true attachment styles, ultimately lowering the validity of the study.
• Test may be culture bound

  limitation of the Strange Situation is that it may reflect as imposed etic, as it was developed in Western cultures and applied to other cultural contexts without considering cultural differences in child-rearing practices. For example, Takahashi (1990) noted that Japanese mothers rarely separate from their infants, resulting in high levels of separation anxiety and a disproportionate number of infants being classified as insecure-resistant
• This suggests that behaviours seen as indicators of attachment in Western cultures may not hold the same meaning in other cultures. Consequently, the Strange Situation may not be a valid tool for measuring attachment universally, as it imposes Western norms on non-Western cultures, lowering its cross-cultural validity.
• There may be other attachment types

  Ainsworth identified three attachment types: insecure-avoidant, secure, and insecure-resistant. However, Main and Solomon (1986) pointed out that some children display atypical attachment behaviours that don’t fit neatly into these categories. They identified a fourth attachment type, disorganized attachment, which combines elements of both avoidant and resistant behaviours.
• This challenges Ainsworth’s original classification system and raises questions about whether the Strange Situation is a fully effective method for identifying all attachment types, particularly those that don’t conform to the original categories.