Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation'. Types of attachment: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant. Cultural variations in attachment, including van ljzendoorn.

What is Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?

• Controlled observation investigating attachment types in infants.
• Observed behaviour during separations and reunions with caregiver.

Strange Situation Procedure

• Conducted in laboratory setting.
• Included mother, baby and stranger.
• Used separations and reunions.
• Consisted of 8 episodes.

What Behaviours Were Measured in the Strange Situation?

• Separation anxiety.
• Stranger anxiety.
• Willingness to explore.
• Reunion behaviour.

What is Secure Attachment?

• Moderate separation anxiety.
• Moderate stranger anxiety.
• Uses caregiver as secure base.
• Comforted easily at reunion.
• Confident exploration.

What is Insecure-Avoidant Attachment?

• Low separation anxiety.
• Low stranger anxiety.
• Avoids caregiver at reunion.
• Emotionally distant.
• Good exploration.

What is Insecure-Resistant Attachment?

• High separation anxiety.
• High stranger anxiety.
• Clingy behaviour.
• Poor exploration.
• Not comforted easily at reunion.
• Resists comfort/anger at reunion.

Strange Situation Evaluation — Standardised Procedure

• Same procedure used for all infants.
• Improves reliability.
• Easy to replicate findings.

Strange Situation Evaluation — Culture Bias

• Based on American norms.
• Attachment behaviours may differ across cultures.
• May misclassify attachment types.

Strange Situation Evaluation — Predictive Validity

• Attachment type identified in infancy often predicts later relationships and behaviour.
• Securely attached infants usually develop healthier emotional and social relationships later in life.
• Suggests the Strange Situation is a valid measure of attachment.

Strange Situation Evaluation — Temperament Issue

• Behaviour may reflect temperament rather than attachment.
• Some infants naturally more anxious.

What are Cultural Variations in Attachment?

• Differences in attachment types across cultures.

van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg — Aim

• Investigated cultural variations in attachment types.

van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg — Procedure

• Conducted meta-analysis of Strange Situation studies.
• Compared attachment types across countries.

van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg — Findings

• Secure attachment most common globally.
• Insecure-resistant more common in Japan.
• Insecure-avoidant more common in Germany.
• Greater variation within cultures than between cultures.

Cultural Variations Evaluation — Large Sample

• Meta-analysis used many studies and participants.
• Increased validity of findings.

Cultural Variations Evaluation — Imposed Etic

• Strange Situation based on Western values.
• Other cultures judged using Western standards.

Cultural Variations Evaluation — Within-Culture Differences

• Greater differences found within cultures than between cultures.
• Culture alone may not determine attachment.

Cultural Variations Evaluation — Confounding Variables

• Studies used different samples and methodologies.
• Other variables may affect findings.