Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

Give one strength of the Strange Situation.

It has very high inter-rater reliability.

Why does the Strange Situation have high inter-rater reliability?

Observers watch the same infant and usually agree on attachment type.

What makes observer agreement high in the Strange Situation?

Behaviours are operationalised into clear behavioural categories.

Which study supports inter-rater reliability in the Strange Situation?

Bick et al. (2012).

What did Bick et al. (2012) find?

94% agreement on attachment type between trained observers.

Why is the Strange Situation considered reliable?

It uses trained observers and standardised procedures.

Give another strength of the Strange Situation.

It is highly replicable.

Why is the Strange Situation highly replicable?

It takes place in a controlled laboratory with standardised procedures.

What does standardised procedure mean?

All participants experience the same conditions and episodes.

Why is replicability important?

It increases reliability and scientific credibility.

What is meant by the Strange Situation being a paradigm?

It is an accepted and widely used method for measuring attachment.

Why is being a paradigm a strength?

It allows comparison of findings across studies worldwide.

Give one limitation related to realism.

It lacks ecological validity.

Why does the Strange Situation lack ecological validity?

It places infants in an artificial environment.

Why is the Strange Situation considered artificial?

Brief separations and reunions rarely occur in everyday life.

What is mundane realism?

How similar a study is to real-life experiences.

Why does the Strange Situation lack mundane realism?

The structured episodes are unlikely to happen naturally.

How might mothers affect the validity of the Strange Situation?

Mothers may alter behaviour to appear as better caregivers.

What issue does this introduce?

Social desirability bias.

Give one cultural limitation of the Strange Situation.

It may be culture-bound.

Why is the Strange Situation culture-bound?

It was developed using American infants and norms.

What is an imposed etic in relation to the Strange Situation?

Applying Western attachment categories to all cultures.

Why is imposed etic a problem?

It may misinterpret attachment behaviours in other cultures.

Which study shows cultural differences in attachment behaviour?

Takahashi (1990).

What did Takahashi (1990) find?

Japanese infants showed extreme distress during separation.

Why did Japanese infants show extreme distress?

They are rarely separated from their mothers.

Why does this challenge the Strange Situation?

Distress may reflect cultural practices rather than insecure attachment.

Give one ethical issue of the Strange Situation.

It deliberately causes stress to infants.

What caused stress in the Strange Situation?

Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety.

How distressed were some infants in the original study?

Around 20% cried desperately.

Why is the Strange Situation considered unethical by some?

It exposes infants to psychological stress.

What reduces the ethical concern?

Episodes lasted only about 3 minutes.

Why is long-term harm unlikely?

There is no evidence of lasting psychological damage.

Give one validity issue of the Strange Situation.

It only measures attachment to the mother.

Why does this reduce validity?

Children may have different attachment types to different caregivers.

What type of validity is affected by this issue?

Construct validity.

Why does this limit conclusions about attachment?

It does not measure a general attachment style.