Ainsworth's strange situation

The strange situation

Controlled observation designed to measure the security of attachment a child displays towards a caregiver

• takes place in a room with quite controlled conditions [laboratory]

• 100 middle-class American infants and their mothers took part

• Consisted of a series of structured situations in a specific order

Attachment types

A. Insecure-avoidant attachment

B. Secure attachment

C. Insecure-resistant attachment

Insecure-avoidant

• children explore freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour

• Show little/no reaction when caregiver leaves and make little effort to make contact when return

• Show little stranger anxiety and do not require comfort at reunion

Secure attachment

• children explore happily but regularly go back to their caregiver [proximity seeking/secure base behaviour]

• They usually show moderate separation distress and stranger anxiety

• Require and accept comfort from caregiver in the reunion stage

Insecure-resistant

• children see, greater proximity than others and so explore less

• Show large amounts of stranger and separation distress

• Resistant comfort when reunited with their caregiver