strange situation

Who carried out the strange situation

Ainsworth

What are the 7 phases of the strange experiment

START: When the mother baby and research are in the room together

EPISODE 1: The child is encouraging to explore and play with the new environment still with mother but researcher leaved

EPISODE 2: stranger comes in an interacts with the child and mother is still here

EPISODE 3:The caregiver leaves the child and is just with stranger

EPISODE 4: The care giver returns and the stranger leaves

EPISODE 5:The caregiver leaves the child alone in the room for the first time

EPISODE 6: The stranger returns to the room

EPISODE 7:The caregiver returns and is reunited with the child

what are the 3 types of attachment

Insecure avoidant secure Insecure Resistant

Insecure avoidant( type A)

Infants keep a distance from their mother not using her as a secure base base but exploring. The infant displays low stranger anxiety and when mum returns there indifferent. Mothers seem to show little sensitive response.

Secure (type B )

infants use their mothers as a safe base as they explore there environment. They show moderate separation anxiety and separation anxiety care giver shows sensitive response

Insecure resistant (type C)

Infants don’t explore there extremely clingy seeking closeness to mum. They have high stranger and separation anxiety when mothers return there ambivalent with mixed emotions craving attention but rejecting her. Mothers seem inconsistent with there sensitive response.

One strength is inter rater

One advantage of Ainsworth’s strange situation is that it has high inter-observer and test-retest reliability.

This is because the technique involves a highly controlled and standardised procedure with seven distinct episodes, each of three minutes duration, that are always carried out in the same order with clear behaviours to observe such as those involving reunion with the mother.

As a result, 94% of observers have been found to provide the same attachment types and Waters found that 48/50 infants had the same attachment type at 18 months as that when they were aged 12 months.

Overall, therefore, there is some evidence to suggest that the Strange Situation is a suitable technique for classifying attachment types and that these remain consistent when further research using the same individuals is completed.