types of attachment

• Ainsworth's Strange Situation

  controlled observation designed to test attachment security

  babies are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with a stranger and being reunited with a caregiver.

  there is a 2 way mirror and cameras so psychologists can observe the baby's behaviour.
• behaviours used to judge attachment

  • proximity seeking - baby with good attachment will stay close to caregiver
  • exploration + secure-base behaviour - baby will feel confident to explore and use their caregiver as a secure base
  • stranger anxiety - displaying anxiety when a stranger approaches shows close attachment
  • separation anxiety - protest at separation shows close attachment
  • response to reunion - babies will greet caregiver with pleasure and seek comfort if they are securely attached.
• Ainsworth's Strange Situation - procedure


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• Ainsworth's Strange Situation - findings

  found distinct patterns in how babies behaved.

  Three main types of attachment

  -> secure attachment

  -> insecure-avoidant attachment

  -> insecure-resistant attachment
• secure attachment

  Type B

  explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver

  moderate separation distress

  moderate stranger anxiety

  require and accept comfort in the reunion stage.

  60-75% of British babies are classified as secure
• insecure-avoidant attachment

  Type A

  explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour.

  show little/no reaction when the caregiver leaves

  show little stranger anxiety

  make little effort to make contact when the caregiver returns, may even avoid contact.

  20-25% of British babies are classified as insecure-avoidant
• insecure-resistant attachment

  Type C

  seek greater proximity than others and explore less

  high levels of stranger and separation anxiety

  resist comfort when reunited with caregiver

  3% of British babies are classified as insecure-resistant
• strength - good predictive validity

  outcome of the SS predicts a number of aspects of the baby's later development.

  research has shown that babies assessed as secure have better outcomes than others in childhood and adulthood.

  in childhood - better in school, less involvement in bullying.

  in adulthood - better mental health

  suggests the SS measures something meaningful in development
• counterpoint - predictive validity

  the SS may not measure attachment.

  suggested that genetically-influenced anxiety levels could account for variations in attachment behaviour.
• strength - good reliability

  has good inter-rater reliability, is not subjective

  Bick et al

  tested inter-rater reliability for the Strange Situation and found agreement on attachment types in 94% of cases.

  this could be due to it being a controlled observation and movements that are easy to observe.
• limitation - culture-bound

  the SS may not be a valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts.

  was developed in Britain + the US.

  different cultures have different experiences as babies.

  e.g. In Japan, babies displayed high levels of stranger anxiety so a disproportionate number were classified as insecure-resistant. =

  however, the anxiety was due to the unusual experience of mother-baby separation and not insecure attachments.