Mary Ainsworth A01
- Created by: MollyL20
- Created on: 07-12-20 11:55
View mindmap
- The strange situation- Mary Ainsworth (1969)
- Aim
- To observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a child's attachment to a caregiver
- Procedure
- A controlled observation procedure
- It takes place in a room with quite controlled conditions with a 2 way mirror through which psychologists can observe the infants behaviour
- The infants behaviour that were used to judge attachments were
- Proximity seeking: Good attachment= staying fairly close
- Exploration and secure base behaviour: Good attachment= child's feels confident to explore and uses their care giver as a safe base
- Stranger anxiety: A display of anxiety when a strangers approaches
- Separation anxiety: Protests at separation from the caregiver
- Reunion: With the carer after separation for a short period of time under controlled conditions
- Measure the security of attachment a child displayed to a caregiver
- The procedure had 8 episodes, each 3 mins
- 1) Child and caregiver enter unfamiliar playroom
- 2) The child is encouraged to explore (tests secure base)
- 3) A stranger comes in and tries to interact with the child (tests stranger anxiety)
- 4) Caregiver leaves the stranger and child together (tests seperation)
- 5) Caregiver returns, Stranger leaves (tests secure base)
- 6) Caregiver leaves the child alone (tests separation anxiety)
- 7) The stranger returns (tests stranger anxiety)
- 8) Caregiver returns and reunited (tests reunion behaviour)
- Findings
- She found that there are 3 main types of attachment
- Secure attachment (Type B)
- Happily explore but go back to the caregiver
- Moderate separation and stranger anxiety
- Accept comfort at the reunion stage
- 60-75% of British toddlers
- Insecure avoidant attachment (Type A)
- Explore freely but don't seek proximity to caregiver
- Little or no reaction when caregiver leaves
- Makes little effort to make contact when the caregiver returns
- Little stranger anxiety
- 20-25% of toddlers
- Insecure resistant attachment (Type C)
- Seek greater proximity explore less
- Huge stranger and separation anxiety but resist comfort when reunited with the ir caregiver
- 3% of British toddlers
- Secure attachment (Type B)
- She found that there are 3 main types of attachment
- Aim
Comments
No comments have yet been made