Ainsworth’s strange situation

• What is the aim of Ainsworth's Strange Situation?

  To observe key attachment behaviors
• How many episodes are involved in Ainsworth's Strange Situation?

  Seven episodes
• What type of mothers participated in Ainsworth's study?

  Middle-class American mothers
• What is measured during the Strange Situation observation?

  Infants' reactions to caregivers and strangers
• What behaviors are used to judge attachment in infants?

  • Proximity seeking
  • Exploration and secure-base behavior
  • Stranger anxiety
  • Separation anxiety
  • Reunion behavior
• What percentage of children displayed secure attachment in Ainsworth's study?

  Around 70%
• How do securely attached children behave during separation?

  They show moderate distress
• What is a characteristic of insecure avoidant attachment?

  They show little or no reaction to separation
• What percentage of children displayed insecure avoidant attachment?

  Around 20%
• How do insecure resistant children behave during reunion?

  They approach but resist comfort from the caregiver
• What percentage of children displayed insecure resistant attachment?

  Around 10%
• What are the three key types of attachment identified by Ainsworth?

  1. Secure attachment (Type B)
  2. Insecure avoidant attachment (Type A)
  3. Insecure resistant attachment (Type C)
• What attachment type is Max likely to have based on his behavior?

  Securely attached
• What attachment type is Jessica likely to have based on her behavior?

  Insecure resistant attachment
• What attachment type is William likely to have based on his behavior?

  Insecure avoidant attachment
• How does Sam's behavior indicate secure attachment?

  He approaches mother and is easily comforted
• How does Dan's behavior indicate insecure resistant attachment?

  He may go to mother but won't be comforted
• What is a strength of the Strange Situation?

  • High reliability of observations
  • High inter-rater reliability (0.94 correlation)
• What criticism is made about the cultural applicability of the Strange Situation?

  It is culture-bound and ethnocentric
• What did Takahashi (1990) find about the Strange Situation in Japan?

  It does not work due to cultural differences
• What did Main and Solomon (1986) propose about attachment types?

  They proposed a fourth type: insecure-disorganised
• What is a limitation of Ainsworth's Strange Situation regarding attachment types?

  It does not account for different caregivers
• How does Ainsworth's research potentially lack internal validity?

  It may only assess mother-child relationships
• What is a criticism regarding the focus of the Strange Situation?

  It focuses too much on one caregiver relationship
• What does the term "internal working model" refer to in attachment theory?

  It is a mental representation of relationships
• What is the significance of the critical period in Bowlby’s theory?

  It is essential for forming attachments
• How does early attachment influence later relationships?

  It shapes expectations and interactions
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Strange Situation?

  Strengths:

  • High reliability
  • High inter-rater reliability

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Culture-bound test
  • Ignores multiple attachments
  • Lacks detail on attachment types