Types of Attatchment

• Types of Attachment-

  Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ (1978)-

  • Controlled observation to measure the security of he relationship between child and caregiver.
  • Lab experiment with a 2-way mirror with cameras for psychologists to observe with.
  • Looking for proximity seeking, Stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, response to reunion and exploration due to a secure-base attachment.
• Types of Attachment-

  Ainsworth’s ’Strange Situation’ (1978)-

  1-Baby is encouraged to explore (exploration and base security).

  2-Stranger comes in, talks to CG, approaches the baby (stranger anxiety).

  3-CG leaves baby and stranger together (separation and stranger anxiety).

  4-CG returns and stranger leaves (reunion and secure base).

  5-CG leaves baby alone (separation anxiety).

  6-Stranger returns (stranger anxiety).

  7-CG reunites with baby when returned (reunion behaviour).
• Types of attachment-

  Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ (1978)-

  Findings-

  • Secure attachment- exploring happily, go back regularly to CG, require/accept comfort from CG at reunion. – 60-75% of British babies are classed as secure.
  • Insecure-avoidant attachment- free exploring but not showing secure-base behaviour, no reaction to the CG leaving or stranger anxiety. – 20-25% of British babies are classified as insecure-avoidant.
  • Insecure-resistant attachment- seek greater proximity while exploring less. – 3% of British babies.
• Types of attachment-

  Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ (1978)-

  CPS- Predicts the number of aspects of the baby’s later development- e.g- secure have better mental health, insecure-resistant have the worst outcomes.

  CPW- Kalgan (1982) suggests its genetics that make the variation due to the anxiety they create, so it doesn’t measure attachment.
• Types of attachment-

  Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ (1978)-

  S- Inter-rater reliability- Bick (2012) showed the strange situation to trained observers and they agreed to 94% of the attachment types.

  W- Different cultural contexts, since its only valid for some places – Takahashi (1986) studied Japanese babies and found high separation anxiety due to the way they were raised in their culture.