Ainsworth's Strange Situation

?
Aisnworth's aim?
To systematically test the nature of attachment by placing infants of 9 - 19 months in stressful + novel environments
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How was the room set up?
9x9 foot space marked off with 16 tiles to record the infants movments
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what were the three specific behvoiurs they were testing for?
separation anxiety, reunion Behavior, stranger anxiety and the novel environment to test the secure base concept
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how was the behviour recorded?
by a group of observers using a one way mirror or a surveillance camera
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What was category 1?
Proximity + contact seeking behaviors
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What was category 2?
contact maintainig behaviors
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What was category 3?
Proximity + interaction avoiding behaviors
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What was category 4?
Contact + interaction resisting behaviors
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What was category 5?
search behaviors?
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each behavior was rated for intensity out of what?q
1-7
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how many infants were tested?
106
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how would a securely attached child react to separation?
Crying
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how would a securely attached child react to interaction with a stranger?
Showing signs of distress + not comforted
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how would a securely attached child react to the reunion?
they are easily soothed but do not leave their mothers side immediately
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how would a securely attached child react the novel environment?
they use their motheas a secure base while they explore the room
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how would a insecure avoident child react to separation?
little response
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how would a insecure avoident child react to interaction with a stranger?
little response + avoids interaction
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how would a insecure avoident child react to reunion?
they do not seek proximity of caregiver
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how would a insecure avoident child react the novel environment?
Happy to explore without the presence of the caregiver for support
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how would a insecure resistant child react to separation?
immediate intense distress
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how would a insecure resistant child react to interaction with a stranger?
immediate intense distress
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how would a insecure avoident child react to reunion?
a conflict between wanting proximity but resiting being picked up
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how would a insecure resistent child react the novel environment?
they maintain a close prximiyty to the caregiver
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E1: Are there only three types of attachment?
No Main and Soloman (1986) conducted a meta analasys and found evidence for a fourth overlooked by Ainsworth
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E1: what is the fourth type of attachment?
Insecure disorganised where infants do not have a standardized strategy to cope with stressful and novel situations
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E1: Is there any supporting evidence?
Van IJzendoorn (1999) et al found that 15% of infants in hsi meta analasysi fo over 80 studies in the US were insecure disorganised
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E2: why might the study have high reliability?
they used inter obsever reliability and found there to be a .94 agreement between raters
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E3: does the study have any real world implications?
Yes - Cooper et al (2005) established the Circle of Security Project, which taught caregivers better understanding of infant distress signals and the feeling of anxiety
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E3: did the project work for caregivers?
Yes - the number of caregivers classified as disordered dropped form 60% to 15%
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E3: did the project work for infants?
Yes - the number of securely attached infants increased from 32% to 40%
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E4: What critisism did Main and Weston (1981) level at the Ainsworths (1978) strange situation concerning its internal validity?
They argued that instead of measuring the attachment type of the child they are merely measuring the quality of of one particular relationship
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E4: What evidence do Main and Weston (1981) have to support their claim?
Main and Weston (1981) observed that infants react differently whe dealing with different parents , therefore Ainsworth (1978) is merely measuring the quality of one relationship
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E5: How does Bowlby (1969) contradict the claims of Main and Weston (1981)?
He argued that attachment type was largly related to the special monotropic relationship. This may then effect other secondary releation ships but they are a consequense of the monotropic relationship (Prior and Glasser 2006)
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E5: How did Main (1999) support Bowlby's counter argument?
Main (1999) found that, after reassesing his hypothosis with age 9 children giving them an AAI (Adult attachment Interview) he concluded that attachment was mainly influnced by the mother (supported by Schaffer and Emmerson 1964)
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

How was the room set up?

Back

9x9 foot space marked off with 16 tiles to record the infants movments

Card 3

Front

what were the three specific behvoiurs they were testing for?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

how was the behviour recorded?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What was category 1?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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