Ainsworth

• What are the three types of attachment?

  • Type A: insecure avoidant
  • Type B: securely attached
  • Type C: insecure resistant
• What does an insecure-avoidant baby act like?

  • Willng to explore
  • Low stranger anxiety
  • Unconcerned by separation
  • Avoids eye contact when reunited
• How does a securely attached baby act?

  • Keen to explore
  • High stranger anxiety
  • Easy to calm
  • Enthusiastic when returned to caregiver
• How does an insecure-resistant baby act?

  • Unwilling to explore
  • High stranger anxiety
  • Upset by separation
  • Seek and reject contact at return to caregiver
• What was the strange situation?

  Eight episodes, each lasting about 2 minutes, with different conditions involving the baby, mother and stranger each time

  Naturalistic participant observation
• What were the types of attachment identified?

  • Type A - 15%
  • Type B - 70% Type C - 15%
• What did Ainsworth conclude was the most important factor determining attachment types?


  Sensitive responsiveness
• What are some strengths of Ainsworth’s study?

  • Became a paradigm
  • Backed up by other research
  • Reliable
• What are the issues with Ainsworth’s study?

  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Focuses on infant, mother could distort results
  • Deliberately causes stress to babies - ethical issues
  • Could be argued the stress is no more than daily life
  • Cultural bias
• Who identified another attachment type?

  Main and Solomon - insecure disorganised. Contains a mix of avoidance and approach behaviours
• What did Main and Weston conclude?


  Children react differently depending on which parent they are with, so attachment types are linked to individual relationships, not set characteristics
• What did Soo See Yeo find about Australian Aboriginal children?


  Aboriginal children are often cared for by many women, and still have strong attachments to their mothers. Assessments should be made on the basis of aboriginal people’s cultural values to be seen as valid