strange situation

• • ainsworth devised the strange situation to be able to systematically test the nature of attachment
  • aim was to see how infants (9-18 months) behave under conditions of mild stress and novelty
• procedure

  research room is a novel environment, a 9 by 9 foot space marked of into 16 squares to record infant's movements

  consists of eight episodes, each to highlight certain behaviours:

  • mum is PCG
  • key features is the caregiver + stranger alternately stay with infant or leave, enabling observation of infant's response to:
  • separation from caregiver (separation anxiety)
  • reunion with caregiver (reunion behaviour)
  • response to strangers (stranger anxiety)
  • novel environment aimed for exploration
• findings

  • data collected by a video recorder or one-way mirror
  • record the following behaviour every 15 secs:

  1. proximity + contact-seeking behaviours
  2. contact-maintaining
  3. proximity interaction-avoiding
  4. contact and interaction-seeking
  5. search behaviours

  • scale intensity score 1 to 7
• findings

  ainsworth combined a total 106 MC infants

  • in terms of similarities eg, noted exploratory behaviours declined from episode 2, whereas crying increased
  • terms of differences, found 2 main behaviour patterns, i.e. consistent clutters of behaviours added to 3 different attachment types:

  1. secure-attachment (type b)
  2. insecure-avoidant (type a )
  3. insecure-resistant (type c)
• secure attachment - type b

  • harmonious and cooperative interactions with caregiver
  • not cry with caregiver absence and some distress with strangers
  • seek bodily contact when anxious but reluctant to prematurely leave caregiver
  • comfortable with social interaction and intimacy
• insecure avoidant - type a

  • avoid social interaction and intimacy
  • showed little response to separation and proximity seeking
  • show little tendency to cling or resist being put down
  • happy exploring alone
  • high levels of anxiousness
• insecure resistant - type c

  • seek and resist intimacy and social interaction
  • distress during separation on reunion
  • such children display conflicting desires for + against contect; may angrily resist picked up while also trying other means to maintain proximity