strange sitiuations

A01-Procedure

• It takes place in a room with quite controlled conditions (i.e. like a laboratory) with a one-way mirror and/or cameras through which psychologists can observe the baby’s behaviour.

• The behaviours used to judge attachment include:

  • Proximity-seeking

  • Exploration and safe-base behaviour

  • Stranger anxiety

  • Separation anxiety

A01-Procedure

1. Baby is encouraged to explore.

2. Stranger comes in, talks to caregiver and approaches baby.

3. Caregiver leaves baby and stranger together.

4. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves.

5. Caregiver leaves baby alone.

6. Stranger returns.

7. Caregiver returns and is reunited with baby.

A01-findings

• Secure Attachment (Type B)

  • These babies explore happily but regularly go back to their caregiver (proximity-seeking and secure-base behaviour). They usually show moderate separation and stranger anxiety

  • Insecure-Resistant Attachment (Type C)

    • These babies seek greater proximity than others and so explore less. They show high levels of stranger and separation anxiety but they resist comfort when reunited with their caregiver.

• Insecure-Avoidant Attachment (Type A)

  • These babies explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour. They show little or no reaction when their caregiver leaves and little stranger anxiety

A03-Test May Be Culture-Bound

• The Strange Situation was developed in Britain and the US. It may be culture-bound .

• For example, in one Japanese study by Keiko Takahashi (1986), babies displayed very high levels of separation anxiety and so a disproportionate number were classified as insecure-resistant. Takahashi suggests that this anxiety response was due to the unusual nature of the experience in Japan where mother-baby separation is very rare.

A03-unethical

• Child cannot consent for this experiment

• Children are left distressed

A03– lacks ecological validity

• Controlled observation