ainsworths strange situation

• insecure-avoidant

  A type of attachment which describes children who tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others
• insecure- resistant

  a type of attachment which describes infants who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction
• secure attachment

  his is a strong  attachment of an infant to his or her caregiver.It is a result of  the sensitive response given by the caregiver to the infant’s needs.These infants are comfortable social interaction.It is related to healthy subsequent cognitive and emotional development.
• strange situation procedure

  • research room was a 9×9 foot space marked into 16 squares to help record the infant’s movements.
  • Their were 8 episodes
  • They key feature of these episodes was that the caregiver and stranger alternately stay with the infant or leave.

  -Observations of the infant’s response to the following was made:

  • separation anxiety
  • reunion behaviour
  • stranger anxiety
  • willingness to explore
  • Data was collected by observers using a video recorder or a one way mirror.They recorded what the child was doing every 15 seconds using behavior categories
• insecure avoidant findings

  • refer to children who tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others.In the study,these types of children show little response to separation and don’t seek close proximity with their caregiver on reunion.Such children are happy to explore on their own.They are characterised by high levels of anxiousness.
• insecure resistant findings

  refers to infants who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction.When separated from their caregiver they show immediate and intense distress,this response is similar towards strangers.On reunion,they display conflicting desires for and against contact
• secure attachment findings

  refers to those who have harmonious and cooperative interactions with their care giver.They are not likely to cry when the caregiver leaves the room.They show some distress when left with a stranger.If they are feeling anxious,they seek close bodily contact with their caregiver and can be calmed down quickly.They seek and are comfortable with social interaction and intimacy.The securely attached infant uses the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore and function independently.