types of attachment - ainsworth

• Procedure of Ainsworth's strange situation (1970-73)


  106 middle-class American infants and mother pairs.

  Conduced in a controlled lab setting (room with toys) each stage lasted 3 minutes)

  Two observers behind a one-way mirror recorded infants' responses at each stage.

  The stages assessed the infant's proximity to their mother, willingness to explore, use of their mother a secure base, stranger and separation anxiety, reunion response, and the sensitive responsiveness of the mother to the infant's needs.
• Ainsworth's findings


  Provided evidence for three distinct attachment types that seemed to correlate with the level of sensitive responsiveness shown by the mother.

  66% infants were classified as secure

  22% insecure avoidant (low sensitive responsiveness)

  12% insecure resistant (inconsistent sensitive responsiveness)
• Ainsworth's research suggests that a secure attachment develops due to the attention of a consistently sensitively responsive mother.
• Secure attachment in the strange situation


  66% of infants

  Separation anxiety: Distressed when the mother leaves

  Stranger anxiety: Avoidant of strangers when alone, but friendly when the mother is present

  Reunion behaviour: Positive and happy when the mother returns

  They use the mother as a safe base to explore their environment
• Insecure resistant attachment in the strange situation


  12% of infants

  Separation anxiety: Intense distress when the mother leaves

  Stranger anxiety: The infant avoids the stranger and shows fear of the stranger.

  Reunion behaviour: The infant approaches the mother, but resists contact, and may even push her away.

  The infant cries more and explores less than the other two attachment types.
• Insecure avoidant attachment in the strange situation


  22% of infants

  Separation anxiety: No sign of distress when the mother leaves

  Stranger anxiety: The infant is okay with the stranger and plays normally when the stranger is present.

  Reunion behaviour: The infant shows little interest when the mother returns.

  The mother and stranger are able to comfort the infant equally well.
• Characteristics of secure attachment


  Infants are upset when left alone by the mother. Infants avoid the stranger when alone, but friendly when the mother is present. The infants uses the mother as a safe base to explore their environment.

  Infants are happy when mother returns and seek contact with the mother.
• When does secure attachment occur?


  When the mother meets the emotional needs of the infant
• Characteristics of insecure resistant attachment


  Infants are clingy to their mother in a new situation and are not willing to explore - suggesting that they do not have trust in her.They are extremely distressed when left alone by their mother.They cannot be comforted by a stranger and will not interact with them. They treat the stranger and the mother very differently. When the mother returns they are pleased to see her and go to her for comfort, but then cannot be comforted and may show signs of anger towards her.
• When does insecure resistant attachment occur?


  When the mother sometimes meets the needs of the infant and sometimes ignores their emotional needs.
• Characteristics of insecure avoidant attachment


  Infants are unconcerned by mother's absence when she leaves the room.Infants shows little interest when they are reunited with the mother (i.e. she returns to the room).Infants are strongly avoidant of mother and stranger, showing no motivation to interact with either adult.The stranger is treated similar to the mother (does not seek contact).
• When does insecure avoidant attachment occur?


  When the mother ignores the emotional needs of the infant.
• + Attachment types are strongly predictive of later development


  E - McCarthy studied 40 adult women assessed with the strange situation as infants. It was found adults with the most long-lasting and secure adult friendships were securely attached in infancy.

  E - Shows children classified as securely attached tend to have better social, emotional, and academic outcomes in later childhood and adulthood suggested by the Strange Situation.

  L - Therefore, the different attachment types have predictive validity.
• / Ethical issues


  E - In episode 6, 20% of the infants reportedly cried 'desperately', clearly showing their distress.

  E - This is problematic because the ethical guidelines state psychologists should avoid causing distress to participants.

  L - However, Ainsworth suggests that the Strange Situation adheres to the ethical guidelines because the situation is no more disturbing than real-life experiences.
• / Classification system doesn't fit all infants


  E - Main and Solomon added a fourth type 'D' of attachment (Disorganised Attachment) which was used for babies who were inconsistent and did not fit clearly into one of Ainsworth's three attachment types.

  E - Some infants placed in the Strange Situation showed attachment behaviour that was inconsistent with the three main attachment types.

  L - Therefore, the study was unsuccessful at classifying all infants and the classification process in incomplete.
• / Lacks ecological validity


  E - The research environment was artificial. The 'playroom' environment in which the infant was interacting in was both strange and unfamiliar to the infant's everyday environment.

  E - It is possible that the experiment was not measuring the infant's natural behaviour.

  L - Therefore, the findings cannot be generalised past the study.