Attachment types: Ainsworth's Strange Situation and cultural variations in attachment
The Strange Situation is a controlled observational procedure, developed by Ainsworth, used to assess the quality of an infant's attachment to a caregiver by watching how the infant behaves during separations, reunions and contact with a stranger. It classifies infants into secure (Type B), insecure-avoidant (Type A) or insecure-resistant (Type C) attachment. The same procedure has been used across many countries to study cultural variations in these attachment types.
Method
- Learn the standardised structure of the Strange Situation: around eight short episodes involving the infant, caregiver and a stranger, with two separations and two reunions.
- Learn the categories of behaviour observers code: separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, secure-base/exploration behaviour and reunion behaviour.
- Learn the behavioural pattern that defines each of the three attachment types: secure (Type B), insecure-avoidant (Type A) and insecure-resistant (Type C).
- Practise applying the classification system to a described infant's behaviour, picking out specific evidence for each type.
- Learn Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's meta-analytic method for studying cultural variations, and their finding that variation within a country can exceed variation between countries.
- Learn the evaluation points: inter-rater reliability, and validity concerns including the imposed etic critique of using the same tool across cultures.
Worked example
In a Strange Situation observation, a 14-month-old infant called Priya stays close to her mother throughout and barely explores the toys, even when her mother is present. When her mother leaves the room, Priya becomes extremely distressed and cries loudly. When her mother returns, Priya rushes towards her but then arches away and resists being picked up, continuing to cry for several minutes afterwards. Classify Priya's attachment type, giving two pieces of supporting evidence from the description.
- Note that Priya shows very little exploration even with her mother present, unlike a securely attached infant who uses the caregiver as a secure base.
- Note that she shows intense distress when her mother leaves, greater than the moderate distress typical of secure attachment.
- Note that on reunion she seeks contact but simultaneously resists comfort, an ambivalent response rather than being easily soothed.
- Match this combination (little exploration, high separation distress, ambivalent reunion) to the insecure-resistant profile.
- State the final answer: Priya shows insecure-resistant (Type C) attachment, supported by her limited exploration and her ambivalent, resistant reunion behaviour.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a A Level Psychology exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
The table below shows made-up percentages of attachment classifications from two separate Strange Situation studies carried out in the same country. Study 1: secure 62%, insecure-avoidant 25%, insecure-resistant 13%. Study 2: secure 68%, insecure-avoidant 12%, insecure-resistant 20%. (a) Calculate the difference between Study 1 and Study 2 in the percentage of infants classified as insecure-avoidant. (b) Using Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's findings, explain what this pattern of results between two studies in the same country demonstrates about cultural variation in attachment.
Assess the extent to which the Strange Situation is more useful as a tool for research into cultural variations in attachment than as a way of assessing an individual infant's attachment relationship in clinical practice.
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