Ainsworth continued studying the development of attachment in infants. Ainsworth and her colleagues created a laboratory test that measured an infant's attachment to their parent. The test is called The Strange Situation Technique because it is
conducted in a context unfamiliar to the child and therefore likely to heighten the child's need for his or her parent (Ainsworth, 1979).[1] During the procedure, which lasts about 20 minutes, the parent
and the infant are first left alone while the infant explores the room full of toys. Then a strange adult enters the room and talks for a minute to the parent, after which the parent leaves the room. The stranger stays with the infant for a few minutes, and then the parent again enters, and the stranger leaves the room. A video camera records the child's behaviors during the session, which trained coders later code. The investigators were especially interested in how the child responded to the
caregiver leaving and returning to the room, referred to as the "reunion." Based on their behaviors, the children are categorized into one of four groups. Each group reflects a different kind of attachment relationship with the caregiver. One style is secure, and the other three styles are referred to as insecure.
[1] Stages Event Secure Insecure-Avoidant Insecure-Resistant Insecure-Disorganized 1 Exploration with caregiver in the room Explores freely High exploration, but unfocused Stays close to caregiver Chaotic exploration 2 Stranger enters room and talks with caregiver May interact with stranger Indifferent to stranger Afraid of stranger when caregiver present Afraid or uncertain about stranger 3 Caregiver leaves room and child is left alone with stranger May be upset when caregiver leaves Not upset when caregiver leaves High distress when alone with stranger Unpredictable (may be upset or not) 4 Reunion with caregiver Happy to see caregiver return Ignores or avoids caregiver Ambivalent: wants contact with caregiver but is upset at them Reacts to return of caregiver with distress How common are the attachment styles among children in the United States? It is estimated that about 65 percent of children in the United States are securely attached. Twenty percent exhibit avoidant styles, and 10 to 15 percent are ambivalent. Another 5 to 10 percent may be characterized as disorganized (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall,
1978).[1] [1] Human Development by Human Development Teaching & Learning Group is licensed under a
Creative Commons CC: BY-NC-SAThe Experiment
The Strange Situation Technique
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