Strange situation

• Ainsworth developed Bowlby's ideas. She identified shared behaviours and characteristics within infants which indicated the strength of their attachment. These were ; proximity seeking and exploration, separation and stranger anxiety reunion response and sensitive responsiveness.
• Insecure - avoidant Attachment

  Keep their distance from their mother and do not use her as a secure base for exploring freely. They show low levels of separation and stranger anxiety. behaving indifferently on the return of their mother. Their mothers seem to show little sensitive responsiveness.
• Secure Attachment

  use their mothers as a safe base whilst they explore their environment. They show moderate levels of separation and stranger anxiety. Upon reunion, they can be comforted quickly. caregiver shows high sensitive responsiveness
• Insecure resistant Attachment

  Seek high levels of proximity with their mothers acting clingy and unsure of exploring new environments. They show high levels of separation and stranger anxiety. upon reunion the infant is likely to seek comfort from the mother whilst also being resistant. Mothers of these infants seem to be inconsistent with their sensitive responsiveness.
• STAGE 1

  observer introduces mother and baby to the experimental room and leaves
• STAGE 2

  The baby explores freely and the mother doesn't interact

  observes : Exploration, secure base , proximity and sensitive responsiveness
• STAGE 3

  A stranger enters the room, in the first minute, the stranger is silent, in the second they speak to the mother and in the third they attempt to engage with the infant.

  observes :Exploration, secure base, proximity and sensitive responsiveness, stranger anxiety
• STAGE 4

  Mother leaves the room leaving the infant and stranger together

  observes : separation and stranger anxiety
• STAGE 5

  Mother returns, greeting and attempting to comfort the baby.

  observes :reunion behaviour and sensitive responsiveness
• STAGE 6

  Mother leaves again leaving the baby alone

  observes : separation anxiety
• STAGE 7

  stranger re-enters and attempts to interact with the infant

  observes : stranger anxiety
• STAGE 8

  Mother enters and stranger leaves

  observes : reunion behaviour
• FINDING SS

  Secure infants were most common accounting for 66% of the infants studied.

  Insecure infants accounted for 34% of the infants

  • 22% were insecure avoidant
  • 12% were insecure resistant
• EVAL - ADVANTAGES

  Highly controlled observation using standardised procedures and clear behavioural categories. This standardisation allowed for a consistent approach to the study allowing it to be replicated by other researchers and comparisons could be made.
• EVAL - ADVANTAGES

  Has predictive validity. for example, those who are identified as being securely attached tend to have better social, academic and emotional outcomes. Adults who were identified as secure as infants tended to have long-lasting and secure adult friendships and relationships. Also supported by Bowlby's continuity hypothesis.
• EVAL - DRAWBACKS

  culture-bound test, the behaviour categories used may not relate to the same ideas in a different culture. an imposed Etic is when the standards of one culture are applied to another culture, disregarding cultural context. For example, in some cultures, children are taught to be more independent or are used to be cared for by multiple caregivers. These infants would show very low levels of distress and therefore their attachment type may be mis interpreted.
• EVAL - DRAWBACK

  criticised for its highly artificial nature, lacking ecological validity and thus could suffer from high levels of demand characteristics especially when analysis the caregivers sensitive responsiveness , as mothers may experience social desirability, exhibiting more responsiveness than usual.