Ainsworth's Strange Situation
- Created by: KayshaN
- Created on: 26-03-17 16:42
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- Ainsworth's Strange Situation
- Variables being tested:
- Proximity seeking- infant with good attach stay fairly closely
- Exploration and secure-base behaviour- good attach confident to explore
- Stranger anxiety
- Separation anxiety
- Response to reunion
- Procedure
- 1)child and caregiver enter unfamiliar playroom and child allowed to explore. (tests E&SB)
- 2) Stranger enters and tries to interact with child.(tests stranger anxiety)
- 3)Caregiver leaves child and stranger together. (tests for separation and stranger anxiety)
- 4) The caregiver returns and stranger leaves- tests reunion behaviour and exploration/secure base.
- 5) the caregiver leaves the child alone- tests separation anxiety
- 6) the stranger returns- tests stranger anxiety
- 7) the caregiver returns and is reunited with the child- tests reunion behaviour
- Findings
- Secure
- explore happily but reg go back to caregiver
- moderate separation and stranger anxiety
- require & accept comfort from caregiver at reunion stage
- 60-75% of British children
- Insecure avoidant
- explore freely but don't seek proximity or show secure base behaviour
- little/no separation and stranger anxiety
- little effort to make contact when caregiver returns
- Don't require comfort at reunion
- 20-25%
- Insecure resistant
- seek greater proximity than others & explore less
- huge stranger and separation anxiety
- but resist comfort on reunion
- 3%
- Secure
- Evaluation
- good reliability: very good inter-rater reliability, diff observers come to same conclusion of what type a child is. Bc controlled conditions, easy to observe. 94% agreement.
- support for validity: strongly predictive of later relationships, secure go on to have successful relationships. Insecure-resistant associated with worst later realtionships
- test may be culture bound: test doesn't have same meaning outside Western cultures. 1) cultural diff childhood. 2) diff in caregiver behave.
- what does it actually measure: the anxiety levels of being in unfamiliar situation, main inf of attachment may be anxiety. Temperament confounding variable.
- At least one more attachment type: minority display atypical attachments that don't fall into types. Known as disorganized attachment, display odd mix of resistant and avoidant.
- Variables being tested:
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