study

• aim


  to investigate the interaction between attachment, separation, protest, separation, anxiety, and exploratory behaviour
• method


  Controlled observation in a lab setting
• sample


  56 family read, infants of white middle-class, parents, contracted through private practice paediatricians

  33 infants aged 49 weeks, 23 infants aged 51 weeks
• procedure

  Mother, baby and experimenter left alone for one minute

  Mother and baby alone

  Stranger joins mother and infant

  Mother leaves stranger and baby alone

  Mother returns and stranger leaves

  Mother leaves infant left completely alone

  Stranger returns

  Mother returns and stranger leaves
• results


  On the mothers return, the child interacted more than with a stranger, but explored less

  Children showed a little distress when the stranger enters, but this increased when the infant was left alone and decreased again when mother returned

  Children cried when left completely alone and this didn’t decrease when the stranger enters

  Infant show proximity with mothers after she returned, and this was increased the second time
• conclusions


  Exploration of the novel situation is dependent on the presence and reasonable proximity of the infants mother

  Without the attachment to get the exploration will be avoided and attachment behaviour is heightened.

  We are predisposed to seek proximity to attachment figures

  Attachment behaviour is heightened when situations are perceived as threatening

  Attachment behaviour is incompatible with exploratory behaviour and may diminish or disappear due to prolonged absence from attachment figures