The strange situation

The strange situation... by Ainsworth & Bell 1970

• This overall research shows the strength of attachment between the caregiver and infant, aswell as identifying types.

The experiement

• The experiment was an observation, placed in a nursery like labratory room. The babies were 9-18 months years old and were tested on 4 different occasions alongside their mothers
• 1) secure-base behaviour
• 2) separation anxiety
• 3) stranger anxiety
• 4) reunion behaviour

Attachment types identified

• Type B which was Secure, infants used the mother as a safe base whilst exploring the room, so he/she was comfortable, when the stranger entered the infant was slightly wary but continued to play however when the mother left the baby was distressed but when the mother returned the infant greeted her with enthusiasm.
• Type A is Insecure avoidant, the infant is not really concered with the mother's presence and continued to play. When the mother left, the baby was distressed and rejected comfort from the stranger and afterwards when the mother returned, the infant had avoided her.
• Type C was insecure resistant, the infant is fussy and clingy even when both mother and stranger in presence, when mother leaves in extreme distress and still remained crying and angry when comforted by mother.

Evaluation of the strange situation

• Strengths-
• - Extraneous variables controlled= highly replicable
• - Has been widely used and still used to identify types
• - Ainsworth used this in Uganda and found the same findings of the infant using the mother as a secure base which supports the strange system.
• - Ainsworth found that the responsiveness of the mother's effected the type
• Weaknesses-
• - In an artificial setting- lack of ecological vadility as to how the children would react in real life situations
• - sample is biased as middle class americans were used- cultural factors may influence this, we cannot use this to generalise all cultures and societies
• - Attachment with the mother was only measured, infant could have other attachments i.e as father as primary figure
• - the experiment was a snapshot, attachment type can change due to illness or parental separation.
• -mother knew of experiment so social desirability
• - child's tempermant affects attachment as Kagan has shown.