Types of Attachment (Ao1)
10 mins
STARTER
For homework you were asked
to create an action plan on your
essay feedback
1. Compare this with your
partner.
2. What were your strengths?
3. What were your
weaknesses?
•
THOSE WHO HAVE NOT
SUBMITTED THEIR 12
MARK ESSAY MUST BY 4PM
THIS EVENING.
Learning Objectives
•ALL will know the
different types of
attachment
• MOST will understand
the steps of the strange
situation
•Most will know the
behaviours observed for
each type of attachment.
Mary Ainsworth
A Strange Situation
Who? What? Where? When?
• In 1970 in America,
Ainsworth and Bell did a
controlled observation of
children’s attachment
behaviour using the ‘Strange
Situation Classification’ (SSC).
Attachment Styles
Attachment is not an
‘all or nothing’
process
There may be
variations between
children in the
attachments they
form.
Controlled Observation
Naturalistic Observation
The participants
MUM
Stranger
Ainsworth and Bell - Study
• Observational study – to see the different attachment styles. The
observations made allowed Ainsworth to judge the child’s reaction
to the following three variables:
3 variables
– Separation anxiety: how the child reacts when mother leaves
– Stranger anxiety: how the child reacts to being alone with a
stranger
– Reunion behaviour: how the child behaves when mum returns
Ainsworth and Bell 1971
• Controlled observation of
children’s attachment behaviour
using the ‘Strange Situation
Classification’ (SSC):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTse
wNrHUHU
The strange situation
Can you identify the stages of the
observations?
Ainsworth and Bell 1971
1.Parent (or caregiver) enters room
with child, child explores for 3
minutes
2.A Stranger enters and joins the
parent and infant, talks to mother
3.Parent leaves the infant with the
stranger
4. Parent returns and the stranger
leaves. Parent settles the infant
Parent leaves again
5. Stranger returns
6.Parent returns and stranger
leaves.
Findings
• Three patterns of attachment:
– Secure (70% of sample)
– Insecure – avoidant (20%)
– Insecure – resistant (10%)
• Ainsworth suggested that
attachment type was
determined by primary carer's
(mother’s) behaviour
Secure video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_Z
MO7GU
Securely attached
• Secure attachment
– Upset/subdued when mother
left
– Positive/happy when she
returned
– Avoidant of stranger but
friendly when mother
present
• Associated with sensitive
& responsive primary
care
http://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=DH
1m_ZMO7GU
Insecure avoidant video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_Z
MO7GU
Insecure Avoidant
• Insecure –avoidant
– Unconcerned by
mother’s absence
– Unresponsive when she
returned
– Strongly avoidant of
mother and stranger
• Associated with
unresponsive
primary care
HW
• Read up on the Ainsworth Experiment and go
over the things we have covered in the lesson.
Use the following sections in your work.
• Hypothesis
• Method
• Results and conclusions
Insecure resistant video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_Z
MO7GU
Insecure - Resistant
• Insecure – resistant
– Intensely distressed
when mother left
– Apparent fear of
stranger
– Clinginess mixed with
rejection on return
• Associated with
inconsistent
primary care
Role Play!
MUM
• In threes produce a role
play – displaying one of
the attachment types
Stranger
Likely exam questions
How did Ainsworth conduct the strange
situation observation? (4)
Outline how a Insecure-avoidant infant reacts in
the strange situation experiment? (4)
Exam question
• Compare the behaviour of an Insecure
resistant child and Insecure avoidant child
(6 marks)
• Outline how a secure infant reacts in the
strange situation experiment? (4 marks)
Plenary
Separation
Anxiety
Stranger
Anxiety
Reunion
Behaviour
Secure
Sad/upset
Weary of
stranger when
PCG not
present
Happy and
instantly
soothed
Insecure
Avoidant
Unconcerned/
not bothered
Extremely
avoidant
Unresponsive/
floppy
Insecure
resistant
Intensely
distressed
Fearful
Clinginess
mixed with
rejection
Plenary
Separation Anxiety
Stranger Anxiety
Reunion Behaviour
Secure
Sad/upset
Weary of stranger
when PCG not
present
Happy and instantly
soothed
Insecure Avoidant
Unconcerned/ not
bothered
Extremely avoidant
Unresponsive/
floppy
Insecure resistant
Intensely distressed
Fearful
Clinginess mixed
with rejection
Securely attached
Separation anxiety- upset
Stranger anxiety- avoidant, but with when
mum there friendly
Reunion behaviour- happy/positive
Insecure-avoidant
Separation anxiety- unconcerned
Stranger anxiety- strongly avoidant
Reunion behaviour- unresponsive
Insecure-resistant
Separation anxiety- intensely distressed
Stranger anxiety- fearful
Reunion behaviour- clinginess mixed with
rejection
Start here Tuesday
Questions from last lesson
What was the name of the controlled observation carried out by Mary
Ainsworth?
A strange situation
What were the three variables used to judge the Childs reaction?
Separation anxietychild’s reaction when mother leaves
Stranger anxietychild’s reaction to being alone with stranger
Reunion behaviourchild’s behaviour when mother renters room
Write down as much of the procedure that you can remember
1. Parent enters the room with child- explores for 3 mins
2. Stranger enters joins parent and infant
3. Parent LEAVES the infant with stranger
4. Parent returns and stranger leaves. Parents settles infant then leaves AGAIN
5. Stranger ENTERS
6. Parent enters and stranger leaves- reunion where attachment style is
established
Exam technique
• How has research investigated attachment
styles
• Procedure and variables
• What has research shown that has
investigated attachment styles?
• Findings (styles) and conclusions (PCG
characteristics)
Separation
Anxiety
Stranger
Anxiety
Reunion
Behaviour
PCG
characteristics
Secure
Sad/upset
Weary of
stranger when
PCG not
present
Happy and
instantly
soothed
Sensitive
Insecure
Avoidant
Unconcerned/
not bothered
Extremely
avoidant
Unresponsive/
floppy
Unresponsive
Insecure
resistant
Intensely
distressed
Fearful
Clinginess
mixed with
rejection
Inconsistent
Plenary
Separation Anxiety
Stranger Anxiety
Reunion Behaviour
Secure
Sad/upset
Weary of stranger
when PCG not
present
Happy and instantly
soothed
Insecure Avoidant
Unconcerned/ not
bothered
Extremely avoidant
Unresponsive/
floppy
Insecure resistant
Intensely distressed
Fearful
Clinginess mixed
with rejection
Securely attached
Separation anxiety- upset
Stranger anxiety- avoidant, but with when
mum there friendly
Reunion behaviour- happy/positive
Insecure-avoidant
Separation anxiety- unconcerned
Stranger anxiety- strongly avoidant
Reunion behaviour- unresponsive
Insecure-resistant
Separation anxiety- intensely distressed
Stranger anxiety- fearful
Reunion behaviour- clinginess mixed with
rejection
Likely exam questions
How did Ainsworth conduct the strange
situation observation? (4)
Outline how a Insecure-avoidant infant reacts in
the strange situation experiment? (4)
Evaluation
• Sample Bias – Uses middle class American infants –
cant generalise across classes or cultures.
http://ww
w.youtube.
com/watch
?v=D5aPU7
KWqJw
Kibbutz
Cultural bias
Imposed etic
Tools created (SS)
Imposed on non western
cultures
Cultural relativism
The theory can not then be
used/generalised in other
cultures
What number comes next in the sequence, one, two, three, __________?
How many lunar months are in a year?
As wallaby is to animal so cigarette is to __________
Three of the following items may be classified with salt-water crocodile. Which are
they?
marine turtle brolga frilled lizard black snake (circle your answers)
Which items may be classified with sugar?
honey witchetty grub flour water-lillies (circle your answers)
We eat food and we __________ water.
The Original Australian Test of Intelligence
1. These items relate to the culture of the Edward River Community in Far North
Queensland
2. What number comes next in the sequence, one, two, three, __________?
3. How many lunar months are in a year?
4. As wallaby is to animal so cigarette is to __________
5. Three of the following items may be classified with salt-water crocodile. Which
are they?
marine turtle brolga frilled lizard black snake (circle your answers)
7. Which items may be classified with sugar?
honey witchetty grub flour water-lillies (circle your answers)
Answers
• One, two, three, many....the kuuk thaayorre system of counting only goes
to three...thana, kuthir, pinalam, mong, mong, mong, etc. The word mong
is best translated as "many" since it can mean any number between 4 and
9 or 10 after which yuur mong (many figures) would be more appropriate.
• Those who say thirteen are right in European terms but irrelevant in
Edward River terms.
• The speakers of kuuk thaayorre clearly recognise lunar menstruation and
possess a notion of the lunar month as calculated as the time between
one phase of the moon and the next appearance of that particular phase.
However, apart from having no specific word to designate thirteen and
thirteen only - yurr mong or "very many", is the right answer - the annual
cycle is crouched in terms of environmental rhythms rather than in terms
of fixed, invariant divisions of time. The "year" then is the time between
the onset of one wet season and the onset of the next wet season - and
wet seasons may be early or late, so who can be precise?
Answers
•
•
The right answer is "tree". This stems from the kuuk thaayorre speakers early
experience with tobacco which was "stick" tobacco, hence it is classified with tree.
Crocodiles, turtles, birds and frill necked lizards are all classified as minh (which
broadly might be translated as animals). Snakes along with eels are classified as
yak which may be broadly translated as snake-like creatures.
•
All the items are classified with sugar as belong to the class of objects known as
may. Broadly translated, may means vegetable food. Even witchetty grubs that are
found in the roots of trees fall under this rubric - so does honey which is also
associated with trees and hence fruit. The kuuk thaayorre language had no
problem fitting flour into the may category since it obviously resembled some of
their own processed vegetable foods (e.g., yams like Dioscoria sativa elongata).
The word may can also mean sweet and hence sugar, which of course does not
resemble anything in their traditional culinary.
•
"Eat" is the right word - well sort of, anyway. Where we make a distinction
between "eating" and "drinking", kuuk thaayorre does not and they use the same
verb to describe both functions and why not?
Imposed Etic – this is culture bias the SS was
designed for the western world.
West vs. East
when we create a theory, test or construct
in one culture (usually Western) and
impose it on the rest of the world!
•Finally Ainsworth is criticised for oversimplification in her belief that children
can be put into 3 categories.
Other studies have suggested that there
are big individual differences between
children within in attachment.
Evaluation
• Subsequent studies that have used the 'Strange
Situation' have found it to be reliable and valid.
Consistency
• · Reliability refers to whether you can produce
the same results if tested again.
Truth/accuracy
• · Validity refers to the extent to which the
'Strange Situation' actually measures what it is
supposed to measure
Main et al study
• Reliability of the 'Strange Situation' was demonstrated by Main et
al. (1985): They tested babies at 18 months and then retested
them at 6 years of age.
They found that 100% of the secure babies were still classified as
and 75% of the avoidant babies were still
secure
under the same classification
• This is called test-retest reliability and checks for
consistency over time.
•Ainsworth herself also tested inter-rater
reliability (the extent to which different
observers score a behaviour in a similar
way). This was also found to be very high.
•Ainsworth herself also tested inter-rater
reliability (the extent to which different
observers score a behaviour in a similar
way). This was also found to be very high.
•Secure
•Insecure- avoidant
•Insecure- resistant
•Secure
•Insecure- avoidant
•Insecure- resistant
Questions from the lesson
What is a problem with the sample in the SS and why?
Bias sample as only contained white middle class American infants- can’t
generalise the results across cultures/ classes
What culture bias is there and why?
Imposed etic as the “tools” (the SS) was designed to measure attachments in
America so it should not be imposed on Non-Western cultures as it may not be
suitable there.
Define the term reliability
Refers to whether you can produce the SAME/CONSISTENT results if tested again
Define the term validity
The extent to which the study measures what it actually set out to measure
What two types of reliability does the strange situation observation have?
Test retest and inter-rater reliability
Validity
• Validity of the 'Strange Situation.' Some argue
the strange situation only measures the
relationship between the child and one other
person (usually the mother) AT THAT TIME
AND PLACE
• so rather than measuring attachment type it is
simple measuring relationship. IN ISOLATION
• Lamb claims the SS assesses only attachment
to the person is with at the time. What about
other attachments??? (father) and multiple
attachments- Shaffer and Emerson
What about these
attachments??
Validity
• Mary Ainsworth only used 100 ptts in her
original study. Therefore the study lacks
population validity, as this small sample size,
means its very difficult to generalise the
results to the rest of the target population
Validity
• Hazan and Shaver (1987) found support for
its validity.
Hazan and Shaver (1987) – ‘love quiz’ in newspaper
collecting information about individuals early
attachment experiences and their current romantic
experiences.
• securely attached infants had happy and long
lasting relationships in later life.
Insecurely attached infants found
relationships hard to form and many were
divorced
Why has the strange situation been criticised to lack
validity? (4 marks)
It has been argued by Lamb that the Strange Situation (SS)
only measures the relationship between the child and
mother at that specific time and place, so rather than
measuring the overall and actual attachment type it is
simply measuring that one relationship in isolation, ignoring
the father.
Also the Strange Situation only used 100 ptts in the original
study. Therefore the study lacks population validity, as this
small sample size, means its very difficult to generalise the
results to the rest of the target population
Explain why research supports the reliability of the
strange situation? (4 marks)
Ainsworth investigated attachment behaviour using a controlled observation called the
strange situation. This involved testing levels of separation and stranger anxiety.
However the procedure has been accused of lacking validity
What is meant by reliability (2)
Reliability refers to the consistency of results. If you carry out the same study again you
should get the same results
What is meant by validity (2)
Validity refers to the accuracy of the results. Is the study measuring what it says its
measuring
Explain how the Strange situation may be lacking in Validity (4)
The strange situation has been criticised for lacking validity as some argue that it only
measures the relationship between the child and one other person. So instead of
measuring attachment type it is simply measuring that one relationship.
Lamb criticises the strange situation suggesting that it assesses attachment to that
person at that time, so only measuring attachments with the mother and disregarding
other attachments like the father
Describe and evaluate the strange
situation to attachment (12 )
A01Procedure
3 variables
Findings
•
•
•
•
•
A02 x4 pointsSample bias
culture-imposed etic
Oversimplified
reliability