Ainsworth's strange situation

• outline the strange situation

  • by Ainsworth
  • controlled observation
  • 100 american infants
  • mother and child in an unfamiliar playroom
  • the child's behaviour is observed through a two way mirror
• outline the behaviours being observed

  1. stranger anxiety
  2. separation anxiety
  3. response to reunion
  4. proximity (to CG)
  5. secure base behaviour
• outline stages of the strange situation

  1. mother and child enter playroom
  2. child encouraged to play with toys and explore
  3. stranger enters and tries to interact with child
  4. mother leaves while stranger is present
  5. mother re enters and stranger leaves
  6. mother leaves again = child alone
  7. stranger returns
  8. mother returns and interacts with child
• outline SECURE - attachment types (findings)

  60 - 70 %

  • secure base behaviour = explores then returns to mother
  • moderate separation and stranger anxiety
  • joy when mother returns
  • develops from parents who are sensitive and responsive to child's needs
• outline INSECURE AVOIDANT - attachment types (findings)

  20 - 25 %

  • child explores but doesn't return to mother
  • low separation and stranger anxiety
  • no reaction when mother returns
  • develops from caregivers who are not responsive to child's attempts to seek comfort in times of distress = avoids comfort
• outline INSECURE RESISTANT - attachment types (findings)


  3 %

  • unwilling to explore = clingy to mother
  • high separation and stranger anxiety
  • when mother returns = not easily comforted and rejects mother's attempts at comfort
  • develops from inconsistent behaviour from caregivers = hard for the child to know if they'll be comforted or neglected at different times
• evaluate (STRENGTHS)

  • test - retest reliability = Main et al. assessed infants in strange situation at 18 months and 6 years. infants remained the same type. This suggests there is consistency in classification.
  • predictive validity = babies assessed as secure tend to have better outcomes later in life. Ward et al. found securely attached babies have better mental health as adults. This suggests the procedure measures meaningful behaviour categories that can predict behaviour later in life.
• evaluate (LIMITS)

  • ethical issues = SS has a number of stages that gradually increases level of distress for infant. For example in one session, 20 % of infants cried desperately.
  • Cultural bias = in a Japanese study, infants displayed high levels of separation anxiety and therefore classified as resistant. However in Japan, mother-baby separation is very rare. This suggests the strange situation is only appropriate for measuring attachment in western cultures.