ainsworth's strange situation

• mary ainsworth

  • worked in uganda
  • natural observation of mothers and infants
• strange situation 1970


  structured observation of infant attachment
• strange situation

  • 100 middle class infants and mothers - american
  • filmed in an artificial playroom - lab experiment
• what did the strange situation observation assess

  • exploration behaviour
  • separation anxiety
  • reunion behaviour
  • stranger anxiety
• exploration behaviour

  • step 1 - mother and infant go into the playroom
  • step 2 - mother sits on chair, infant placed on the floor to explore
  • mother is a secure base for infant
• stranger anxiety

  • step 3 - stranger enters room and tries to engage with infant
• separation anxiety

  • step 4 - mother leaves room - stranger tries to comfort
• reunion behaviour

  • step 5 - stranger leaves, mother returns
• separation anxiety 2

  • mother and stranger leave
  • stranger comes back to console infant
  • mother comes back and stranger leaves
• strange situation - findings

  • 3 broad types of attachment
  • secure - 66%, mothers were sensitive
  • insecure resistant - 12%, mothers were ambivalent
  • insecure avoidant - 22%, mothers sometimes ignored infants
• strange situation - conclusion

  • infants showed individual differences
  • most usa infants are securely attached
  • association between mothers behaviour and infants attachment
• strange situation - ao3

  • 0.94 inter-rater reliability
  • methods have been replicated
  • temperament of baby is important - confounding variable
  • some children show atypical attachment - 4th type of attachment, insecure disorganised
  • cultural relativism
• secure attachment

  • separation - some distress
  • stranger - avoidant when mother not present
  • reunion - happy when mother returns
  • uses mother as a safe base to explore
• resistant attachment

  • separation - intense distress when mother leaves
  • stranger - infant avoids stranger and is fearful
  • reunion - infant approaches mother but resists contact
  • infant cries more and explores less
• avoidant attachment

  • separation - no distress
  • separation - infant behaves normally when stranger is present
  • reunion - infant shows little interest in mother
  • mother and stranger can comfort infant