AIM:

• To be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the quality of a baby’s attachment to a caregiver

PROCEDURE:

• Controlled observation (in a room with a two-way mirror)

  Behaviours used to judge attachment:

• Proximity-seeking (baby with good quality attachment stays close to caregiver)

• Exploration & secure-base behaviour (good attachment enables a baby to feel confident to explore)

• Stranger anxiety (one sign of attachment is a display of anxiety when a stranger approaches)

• Separation anxiety (one sign of attachment is to protest at separation from the caregiver)

• Response to reunion (babies who are securely attached greet the caregiver’s return with pleasure, and seek comfort)

FINDINGS:

→ Secure Attachment (type B)

• These babies explore happily

• Show moderate separation and stranger anxiety

• Require comfort from returning caregiver

• 60-75% of British babies are classified as secure

→ Insecure-Avoidant Attachment (type A)

• These babies explore freely

• Show little separation or stranger anxiety

• Don’t require or seek comfort from returning caregiver

• 20-25% of British babies are classified as insecure-avoidant

→ Insecure-Resistant Attachment (type C)

• These babies explore less

• Show high levels of separation or stranger anxiety

• Resist comfort from returning caregiver

• 3% of British babies are classified as insecure-resistant

EVALUATION

Research Support

→ GOOD PREDICTIVE QUALITY

• One strength of the Strange Situation is that it’s outcome predicts a number of aspects of the baby’s later development.

• Lots of research shows that babies assessed as type B (secure) tend to have better outcomes than others, both in later childhood and adulthood. In childhood this includes better achievement in school.

• Securely attached babies also tend to go on to have better mental health in adulthood.

• This suggests that the Strange Situation measures something real and meaningful in a baby’s development.

→ GOOD RELIABILITY

• Another strength of the Strange Situation is good inter-observer reliability.

• Psychologists tested inter-observer reliability for the Strange Situation for a team of trained observers and found agreement on attachment type in 94% of cases.

• This high level of reliability may be because the procedure takes place under controlled conditions, and because attachment behaviours are obvious, and are therefore easy to observe (e.g. crying).

• This means that we can be confident that attachment type, as assed by the Strange Situation, does not depend on subjective judgements.

Conflicting Evidence

→ THE TEST MAY BE CULTURE BOUND

• One limitation of the Strange Situation is that it may not be a valid measure of attachment in different cultural contexts.

• The Strange Situation was developed in Britain and the US. Therefore, it may not be applicable in all cultures. One reason for this is that babies have different experiences in different cultures, and these experiences may affect their responses to the Strange Situation.

• For example, in one Japanese study, babies showed high levels of separation anxiety and so a disproportionate number were classified as insecure-resistant. This was due to mother-baby separation being very unusual in their culture.

• This means that it is very difficult to know what the SS is measuring when used outside Europe and the US.

→ OTHER ATTACHMENT TYPES

• Another limitation of the Strange Situation is that there may be more than 3 attachment types.

• For example, psychologists identified a 4th attachment type - a disorganised attachment which involves a mix of avoidant and resistant behaviours.

• However, disorganised babies are unusual and generally experienced some form of severe neglect or abuse.

• This means that the findings from the SS cannot be applied to the whole population as not every baby falls into the 3 attachment categories found.