Ainsworth’s strange situation: Types of attachment

Aim of Strange Situation experiment

Was devised to systematically test the nature of attachment.

The aim was to see how infants (aged 9-18 months) behave under stress

What was the procedure of the experiment?

Procedure took place in a novel research room, with an infant, infant’s mother and stranger

The procedure consisted of the caregiver and stranger alternatively leaving or staying with the infant.

The data was collected by a group of observers (watching footage)

What did the procedure enable infant response to?

Separation anxiety, reunion behaviour, willingness to explore and stranger anxiety

What were the findings of the experiment?

Ainsworth combined the studies of 106 middle-class children observed.

Ainsworth found 3 main patterns of behaviours.

They were named ‘attachment types’

Features of secure attachment (Type B)

Cooperative interactions with caregiver.

Show moderate stranger anxiety.

Unlikely to cry when caregiver leaves the room (low separation anxiety).

They have enthusiastic reunion behaviour with caregiver and are comfortable with social intimacy.

High willingness to explore.

66% of infants found to be secure.

Features of insecure-avoidant attachment (type A)

Avoid social interaction and intimacy with others. Very unbothered, hence ‘avoidant’.

Little response to seperation and avoids caregiver at reunion.

High willingness to explore without presence of caregiver.

Low stranger anxiety. But high levels of general anxiousness.

22% of infants found to be insecure-avoidant.

Features of insecure-resistant attachment (Type C)

Seeks and rejects intimacy and interaction.

Very high distress at separation and towards strangers.

Seeks and rejects interaction at reunion - very conflicting desires.

Low willingness to explore.

12% of infants were insecure-resistant.

Positive eval

High agreement amongst observers (inter-observer reliability), .94 agreement between raters so very high - high reliability and validity

The research on attachment types helps parents better understand their children (RWA). So better treatment of children = nicer life for them - so research is positive

Attachment type has been shown to be influenced by the mother - supports Bowlby’s monotropy

Negative eval

Ainsworth overlooked a fourth type of attachment - insecure-disorganised type D. This is characterised by inconsistent behaviour - Ainsworth’s conclusions were therefore oversimplified.

Ainsworth suggests that secure attachment was linked to maternal sensitivity. This has been criticised by later researchers.

There has been found a greater role for maternal reflective functioning in establishing attachment type.

Maternal sensitivity definition

Sensitivity of mother

Maternal reflective functioning definition

‘Reflective functioning’ - the ability to understand what someone else is thinking and feeling

‘Maternal’ - mother

So mother’s ability to understand what their child is thinking and feeling