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.
• 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