mary ainsworth (1969) developed the strange situation as a method to assess the quality of a child's attachment to a caregiver. it is a controlled observation procedure in a lab with a two way mirror through which psychologists can observe an infant
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procedure- part 2
five categories: proximity seeking, exploration and secure base behaviour, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, response to reunion with the caregiver after separation for a short period of time.
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procedure- part 3
procedure has seven episodes: child is encouraged to explore, stranger enters, caregiver leaves, caregiver returns and stranger leaves, caregiver leaves, stranger returns, caregiver returns
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findings- part 1
she identified 3 types of attachment: secure attachment, insecure-avoidant attachment and insecure-resistant attachment.
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strength 1- good inter-rater reliability
different observers watching the same children generally agree on attachment type. Bick et al (2012) found 94% agreement in one team. this may be because the situation takes place under controlled conditions.
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limitation 1- culture- bound test
the test might not have the same meaning in other countries. cultural differences in childrens experiences mean they respond differently. also caregivers from other places behave differently.
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limitation 2- confounding variables
Kagan (1982) suggests temperament is a more important influence on behaviour in the strange situation. to measure the quality of attachment, not the temerament of the children.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
five categories: proximity seeking, exploration and secure base behaviour, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, response to reunion with the caregiver after separation for a short period of time.
Back
procedure- part 2
Card 3
Front
procedure has seven episodes: child is encouraged to explore, stranger enters, caregiver leaves, caregiver returns and stranger leaves, caregiver leaves, stranger returns, caregiver returns
Back
Card 4
Front
she identified 3 types of attachment: secure attachment, insecure-avoidant attachment and insecure-resistant attachment.
Back
Card 5
Front
different observers watching the same children generally agree on attachment type. Bick et al (2012) found 94% agreement in one team. this may be because the situation takes place under controlled conditions.
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