AO3

• Strange Situation: Evaluation Points

  • Methodology
  • Oversimplified attachment type
  • Culturally biased
• Strange Situation: Methodology

  Ainsworth's strange situation is a useful research method which provides a lot of information about attachment. It had standardised procedure of fixed timings for each stage and what occurred in each stage, making it easy to replicate which led to a rapid increase in the amount of research carried out into attachments variations, within and between cultures. This increases the validity of the findings as supporting replications can be done with similar results each time. However, as it was a controlled observation there may have been researcher bias.
• Strange Situation: Cultural Bias

  Ainsworth's strange situation was conducted in the USA and the following types of attachment were identified and constructed based on American cultural standards. Behaviour regarded as healthy in the USA may not be considered healthy in other cultures as they have different standards for child-rearing practices. For example, Japan has high levels of insecure-resistant infants due to high separation anxiety, but in this culture infants are not typically experienced in being separated. This means that it may be Eurocentric and subject to cultural bias.
• Strange Situation: 4th Attachment Type

  Ainsworth outlined 3 attachment types, however Main and Solomon later identified a 4th attachment type; the disorganised attachment type. It has also been criticised for oversimplifying attachment type, as in some cases infants have differed within a given category. This suggests that not all infants fit into the outlined attachment types by Ainsworth, questioning the validity.