Attachment - Ainsworth's Strange Situation (1960s)

OUTLINE

The mother and child (aged 12 - 18 months) were observed through a one way mirror in an a laboratory. There were different episodes they went through to determine the child's attachment.

1. Mother and their infants enter the lab
2. The infant played with some toys while the mother was there
3. A stranger enters the lab and the mother left
4. A stranger tries to comfort the infant
5. The mother returns and the stranger leaves
6. The mother comforts the infant and leaves again
7. The child is left alone for a short period of time
8. The stranger returns and tries to interact with the child
9. The mother returns and picks up the infant while the stranger leaves

This showed that 70% of the sample had a secure attachment, whereas each of the insecure attachments were present in 15% of the sample.

Secure Attachment

• Explore whilst playing, using mother as a safe base
• Show moderate distress on seperation
• Comforted by mother, and to some extent by the stranger

Insecure Avoidant Attachment

• Pay no attention to mother while playing
• Show little distress on seperation
• Easily comforted by stranger if necessary, and often ignored mother when she returned

Insecure Ambivalent Attachment

• Stay close to mother whilst playing
• Show extreme distress on separation
• Stranger cannot comfort the infant, and the mother is rejected when she returns.