Strange situation

• A controlled observation designed to test attachment types.
• 1)Infant brought to a new room, filled with attractive new toys. (Testing safe base behaviour.)

  2)A stranger comes in. (Testing stranger anxiety.)

  3)Caregiver leaves and leaves infant w/ stranger (Separation anxiety, stranger anxiety.)

  4)Caregiver returns, stranger leaves. (Reunion behaviours.)
• Secure attachment) React normally in accordance with the situation.

  ->When mother leaves they experience separation anxiety. When stranger introduced -> Stranger anxiety. When mother returns -> Seeks comfort and is happy that mother has returned.

  Avoidant)Baby not bothered by anything.

  Resistant)Baby extremely bothered by everything.
• Strength)Good reliability

  ->A team of trained observers found agreement on attach type in almost all cases. This high level of reliability may be because the procedure is done in controlled conditions.

  
  

  Limitation)Not a valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts.

  ->S.S was made in US, by US standards. A baby from Germany may be tested as insecure-avoidant because of the culture they were raised in but in Germany it wouldn't be classed as that because those characteristics are desired and nurtured in babies.

  
  

  Limitation) Takes place in a controlled, unfamiliar lab setting with a stranger, which might not reflect real-life interactions. The artificial environment could influence a child’s behaviour (e.g. becoming more distressed than usual), meaning the attachment type observed might not accurately reflect how the child typically responds in natural settings.
• Cultural variations

  Ijzendoorn conducted a meta-analysis summary of findings from 8 countries that did the strange situation.

  ->Found that average findings were consistent with Ainsworth's original research.

  Limitation)Not globally representative

  ->Used data mainly from western cultures.

  Limitation)Ethnocentric