Ainsworths strange situation

Ainsworths strange situation

1. To systematically test the nature of attachment

   • The aim was to see how infants (between 9 and 18 months) behave under conditions of mild stress and anxiety

2. Procedure

   • Research room 9x9 foot space marked into 16 squares to help record infants movements
     • Consists of 8 episodes designed to highlight certain behaviour
   • The caregiver and stranger alternatively stayed with the infant or watch
     • Enables observation of infants response to
       • Separation from caregiver (separation anxiety)
     • Reunion with caregiver (reunion behaviour)
     • Response to stranger (stranger anxiety)

3. Recorded

   • Proximity and contact seeking behaviours
   • Contact maintaining behaviours
   • Proximity and interaction (avoiding behaviours)
   • Contact and interaction (resisting behaviours)
   • Search behaviours

4. Findings

   • Found 3 main patterns of behaviour
     • Insecure avoidant
       • A type of attachment which describes children who avoid social interaction and intimacy with others
     • Insecure resistant
       • Describes infants who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction
     • Secure attachment
       • Strong and contented attachment to caregiver developed due to sensitive responding of infants needs
         • Confident with social interaction

5. Evaluation

   • Other types of attachment
     • Overlooked a 4th type of attachment
       • Insecure disorganised
         • Lack of consistent patterns of social behaviour
   • Observations had high reliability
     • Meaningful if agreement amongst observers (inter-observer reliability) determined by comparing ratings made by panel of experienced judges
   • Real world application
     • Supports research on attachment types which can be used to improve children's lives
   • Low internal validity
     • Are they measuring attachment type or quality of one particular relationship
   • Ould be linked to maternal reflective functioning