Measuring Individual Differences: The Strange Situation
not everyone has the same attachment style
individual differences = as individuals we are different (in this case we form different types of
attachment bonds to our primary caregiver)
ainsworth and bell (1970) used a procedure called ‘the strange situation’ to measure individual
differences in attachment
The 8 Stages of the Strange Situation:
Episodes (about 3 minutes duration) Behaviour Assessed
1) parent and infant play -
2) parent sits while infant plays use of parent as secure base
3) stranger enters and talks to parent stranger anxiety
4) parent leaves, infant plays, stranger separation anxiety
offers comfort if needed
5) parent returns, greets infant, offers reunion behaviour
comfort if needed, stranger leaves
6) parent leaves, infant alone separation anxiety
7) stranger enters and offers comfort stranger anxiety
8) parent returns, greets infant, offers reunion behaviour
comfort
Ainsworth and Bell (1970) – Research into Individual Differences in Attachment:
- aims
o to investigate whether children have different attachment styles.
- how the study was carried out
o 100 middle class US infants (12-18 months) put through the ‘strange situation’.
o as part of the strange situation they measured:
separation anxiety
stranger anxiety
reunion behaviour
willingness to explore
- findings
o the children had one of three attachment styles:
secure (66% - the ‘best’ type)
insecure avoidant (22% - the overly independent children)
insecure resistant (12% - the clingy children)
o later research found ‘type d’
- conclusions
o most children are securely attached.
o it is best to be securely attached.
o the attachment type is dependent on the sensitivity of the mother.
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