Ainsworth's Strange Situation

Ainsworth's Strange Situation

1. This section seeks to explain how Individuals differ in the types of attachment they form and how Different cultures influence the types of attachment we form

2. The Strange Situation

   • This is a method devised by Ainsworth and Bell to measure the type of attachment that a child has formed
   • The experiment is set up in a small room with one way glass so the behaviour of the child can be observed. Children were aged between 12 and 18 months.
   • Each phase of the procedure lasts 3 minutes and a session progresses as follows:
     • 1) Parent (or caregiver) enters room with child, child explores for 3 minutes
     • 2) A Stranger enters and joins the parent and infant, talks to mother
     • 3) Parent leaves the infant with the stranger
     • 4) Parent returns and the stranger leaves. Parent settles the infant
     • 5) Parent leaves again, stranger returns
     • 6)Parent returns and stranger leaves
   • In all the stranger enters on average eight times, more if the child is okay, less if it isshowing signs of distress.
   • Throughout the procedure the child is observed by a team of researchers who make notes every 15 seconds about the following behaviours:
     • Proximity and contact-seeking behaviours
     • Proximity and contact-maintaining behaviours
     • Interaction-avoiding behaviours
     • Contact and interaction-resisting behaviours
     • Search behaviours
   • To get more reliable results Ainsworth and her co-workers combined the results of several studies so that a total of 106 different child observations were included in the final report. This combining of studies is called a meta-analysis.
   • The observations made allowed Ainsworth to judge the child’s reaction to the following three variables:
     • Separation anxiety
       • How the child reacts when mother leaves
     • Stranger anxiety
       • How the child reacts to being alone with a stranger
     • Reunion Behaviour
       • How the child behaves when mum returns
   • Findings and conclusions
     • However, after reviewing a further 200 tapes of children in the strange situation Main and Solomon (1986) added a fourth type of attachment that they referred to as ‘disorganised.’ The infant’s behaviour is not consistent and shows signs of indecisiveness and confusion. Sometimes the child will freeze or rock back and forth

3. Evaluation of the Strange Situation

   • Subsequent studies that have used the 'Strange Situation' have found it to be reliable and valid.
   • The test was devised by Ainsworth in the USA using American children. The test is therefore culturally biased
   • Sroufe (1983) found support for its validity. Infants that were rated as secure went on to become more popular, have higher self esteem, and be social leaders
   • Rather than measuring attachment type it is simple measuring relationship

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