Types of attachment

• [AO1](Types of attachment) What was Ainsworth's(1970) The 'Strange situation' developed to measure?

  Was developed to assess the quality of a baby's attachment to a caregiver.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) What type of experiment was Ainsworth's(1970) The 'Strange situation'?

  It is a controlled observation procedure in a lab(a controlled environment).

  Had a two-way mirror through which psychologists can observe a baby's behaviour.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) What five categories are used to judge attachment quality in Ainsworth's(1970) The 'Strange situation' ?

  1. Proximity seeking
  2. Exploration and secure-base behaviour
  3. Stranger anxiety
  4. Separation anxiety
  5. Response to reunion with the caregiver after separation for a short period of time.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) How was the category Proximity-Seeking assessed in Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'?

  Proximity-seeking: Well attached babies stay close to caregiver
• [AO1](Types of attachment) How was the category Exploration and secure-base behaviour assessed in Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'?

  Exploration and secure-base behaviour: Good attachment makes a baby confident to explore, using the caregiver as a point of safety.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) How was the Stranger Anxiety category assessed in Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'?

  Stranger Anxiety: Displayed by well-attached babies.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) How was the Separation Anxiety category assessed in Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'?

  Separation Anxiety: Displayed by well-attached babies.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) How was the Response to reunion with the caregiver after separation for a short period of time category assessed in Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'?

  Response to reunion with the caregiver after separation for a short period of time: Well-attached babies are enthusiastic.
• [AO1](Types of attachment) What was the procedure of the 'Strange Situation'?

  • The procedure has seven 'episodes', each lasting three minutes:

  1. Baby is encouraged to explore by caregiver.
  2. Stranger enters and talks to caregiver, approaches baby.
  3. Caregiver leaves.
  4. Caregiver returns, stranger leaves.
  5. Caregiver leaves baby alone.
  6. Stranger returns.
  7. Caregiver returns.
• [AO1](Types of attachment)What were the 3 main types of attachment identified by Ainsworth and Bell?

  • Secure attachment- 60-75% of British toddlers
  • Insecure-avoidant attachment- 20-25% of British toddlers
  • Insecure-resistant attachment- 3% of British toddlers
• [AO1](Types of attachment)What behaviours did babies with Secure Attachment display?

  Secure attachment(60-75%)

  • Baby happy to explore but seeks proximity to caregiver(secure base).
  • Shows moderate separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
  • Requires and accepts comfort from caregiver on reunion.
• [AO1](Types of attachment)What behaviours did babies with Insecure-avoidant Attachment display?

  Insecure-avoidant(20-25%)

  • Baby explores freely but does not seek proximity(no secure base).
  • Shows little/no separation and stranger anxiety.
  • Avoids contact at the reunion stage.
• [AO1](Types of attachment)What behaviours did babies with Insecure-resistant Attachment display?

  Insecure-resistant attachment(3%)

  • Baby explores less and seeks greater proximity.
  • Shows considerable stranger and separation anxiety.
  • Resists comfort when reunited with caregiver.
• [AO3](Types of attachment)One strength is the Strange Situation has good predictive validity:

  • Attachment type predicts later development. For example, secure babies typically have greater success at school(McCormick et al. 2016).
  • In contrast, insecure-resistant attachment is associated with the worst outcomes, e.g. bullying(Kokkinos 2007) and adult mental health problems(Ward et al.2006).
  • This is evidence for the validity of the concept because it can explain(predict) future outcomes.
• [AO3](Types of attachment)A weakness of the Strange Situations predictive validity is?

  It may be measuring genetic differences in anxiety(Kagan 1982).

  This means the SS may not actually measure attachment.
• [AO3](Types of attachment) Another strength is the Strange Situation has good inter-rater reliability:

  • Different observers watching the same babies generally agree on attachment type. Bick et al.(2012) found 94% agreement in one team.
  • This may be because the Strange Situation takes place under controlled conditions and because the behavioural categories are easy to observe.
  • This means that we can be confident that the attachment type of a baby identified in the Strange situation does not just depend on who is observing them.
• [AO3](Types of attachment)One limitation is that the Strange Situation may be a culture-bound test:

  • The strange situation test might not have the same meaning in countries outside Europe and the US where it was created.
  • Cultural differences in children's experiences mean they respond differently, e.g. Japanese babies show more anxiety because they are not used to being left by caregiver(Takahashi 1986).
  • This means it is difficult to know what the Strange situation is measuring in some countries/cultures.
• [AO3](Types of attachment)A limitation of the Strange Situation is that there are more than 3 attachment types:

  • Main and Solomon 1986) identified a fourth category of attachment- disorganised(Type D), a mix of resistant and avoidant behaviours.
  • However, disorganised type babies are unusual and have generally experienced some form of severe neglect or abuse, associated with later psychological disorders.
  • This means that Ainsworth's classification is adequate as a description of normal variations in attachment.