Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

• List some behaviours being tested in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

  1. Exploration
  2. stranger anxiety
  3. separation anxiety
  4. reunion behaviour
• describe secure attachments

  • infant explores unfamiliar environment, returning to the mother at regular intervals and using her as a safe base
  • moderate separation anxiety: infant’s play is seriously disrupted when the mother leaves
  • moderate stranger anxiety: infant is wary of strangers and will move closer to the mother when she is present with the stranger
  • joy on reunion and seeks proximity and is easily comforted in her presence
• describe insecure-avoidant

  • infant explores the unfamiliar environment but does not return to the mother
  • low separation anxiety: infant not concerned by the mother’s departure
  • low stranger anxierty: infant is unconcerned about stranger and shows little preference between mother and stranger
  • infant shows little reaction upon the mothers return and often ignores her
• describe insecure-resistant

  • infant does not explore the environment choosing to stay close to the mother
  • high separation anxiety: infant is extremely distressed and violent when the mother leaves
  • high stranger anxiety: the infant becomes extremely distressed when the stranger goes to comfort them
  • infant is not easily comforted by mother seeks but rejects attempts of mother’s comfort on reunion
• findings of strange situation

  • secure: 66%
  • insecure-avoidant: 22%
  • insecure-resistant: 12%
• strength of strange situation

  • high reliability: observation took place under strict and controlled methods using predetermined behavioural categories. Ainsworth also used several observers watching and coding the same infant behaviours. Found 94% agreement between observers and when inter-observer reliability is assumed to a high degree the findings are considered more meaningful
• Limitaions of ainsworth’s strange situation (1)

  • lacks ecological validity: lab setting therefore unfamiliar to both the parents and the infants therefore children may of acted differently to how they would act in a more familiar environemnt
  • nomothetic approach by suggesting that all children can be characterise into just one of three attachment types. however, later research suggests that some children do not fit into one of these categories which suggests that an idiographic approach may be more appropriate
• Limitations of strange situations (2)

  • culture bias: theory and methods were based on western ideals in relation to infant behaviour, categorising a higher proportion of children from other cultures are insecure-avoidant or insecure-resistant. Consequently according to Bowlby, such children will develop less stable adult relationships based on their attachment type and therefore Ainsworth’’s culture bis could have potentially negative consequence for children in other cultures