Lecture on Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation

Introduction

• Mary Ainsworth, an American psychologist, introduced a new method to study attachment in infants in 1969.
• The method is called the "Strange Situation Classification," commonly known as the "Strange Situation."
• Studying attachment in infants and young children requires subtle techniques since they cannot verbally express their feelings.

The Strange Situation Procedure

• Designed to measure the security of attachment in infants aged 1-2 years.
• Comprises a 20-minute observational study with eight stages, each lasting about three minutes.
• Conducted in a neutral room with toys where the mother, baby, and a researcher start together.

Stages of the Experiment

1. Initial Stage: Mother, baby, and the researcher are together.
2. Mother and Baby Alone: Researcher leaves; infant's exploration of the environment is observed.
3. Stranger Enters: Stranger joins; mother leaves; baby's response to the stranger is observed.
4. Mother Returns: Reunion response is observed; stranger leaves.
5. Baby Alone: First time the baby is left alone.
6. Stranger Returns: Observes baby's reaction to the stranger without the mother.
7. Mother Returns Again: Final reunion response is observed, and the stranger leaves.

Observations and Measurements

• Researchers measure four aspects of infant behavior:
  • Proximity and contact seeking
  • Contact maintaining
  • Avoidance of proximity and contact
  • Resistance to contact and comforting
• Exploratory behaviors of the baby are also recorded.

Attachment Styles Identified

1. Secure Attachment:

   • Distress when mother leaves.
   • Avoidance of stranger when alone but friendly with mother present.
   • Happy upon mother's return.
   • 70% of children display this attachment style.

2. Ambivalent Attachment:

   • Intense distress when mother leaves.
   • Significant fear of the stranger.
   • Both approach and reject the mother upon return.
   • 15% of children display this attachment style.

3. Avoidant Attachment:

   • No interest when mother leaves.
   • Plays happily with the stranger.
   • Little response to mother's return.
   • 15% of children display this attachment style.

4. Disorganized Attachment (added by Main & Solomon in 1990):

   • Inconsistent behaviors.
   • A very small percentage of children show this style.

Ainsworth's Caregiver Sensitivity Hypothesis

• Suggests that attachment styles are influenced by the mother's behavior during a critical developmental period.

Conclusion

• The Strange Situation is a key tool in developmental psychology for understanding infant attachment styles.
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