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.
STARTERFor 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.
Types of Attachment (Ao1)10 mins
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 StylesAttachment is not an
‘all or nothing’ process
There may be variations between
children in the attachments they
form.
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=QTsewNrHUHU
The strange situation
Can you identify the stages of the observations?
Ainsworth and Bell 19711.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_ZMO7GU
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.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_ZMO7GU
Insecure avoidant video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_ZMO7GU
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_ZMO7GU
Insecure - Resistant
• Insecure – resistant– Intensely distressed
when mother left– Apparent fear of
stranger– Clinginess mixed with
rejection on return
• Associated with inconsistent primary care
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)
PlenarySeparation 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
PlenarySeparation 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
Separation anxiety- upset
Stranger anxiety- avoidant, but with when mum there friendly
Reunion behaviour- happy/positive
Separation anxiety- unconcerned
Stranger anxiety- strongly avoidant
Reunion behaviour- unresponsive
Separation anxiety- intensely distressed
Stranger anxiety- fearful
Reunion behaviour- clinginess mixed with rejection
Securely attached
Insecure-avoidant
Insecure-resistant
Questions from last lessonWhat 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 anxiety-Stranger anxiety-Reunion behaviour-
Write down as much of the procedure that you can remember1. Parent enters the room with child- explores for 3 mins2. Stranger enters joins parent and infant3. Parent LEAVES the infant with stranger4. Parent returns and stranger leaves. Parents settles infant then leaves AGAIN5. Stranger ENTERS6. Parent enters and stranger leaves- reunion where attachment style is
established
child’s reaction when mother leaves child’s reaction to being alone with stranger
child’s behaviour when mother renters room
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
PlenarySeparation 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
Separation anxiety- upset
Stranger anxiety- avoidant, but with when mum there friendly
Reunion behaviour- happy/positive
Separation anxiety- unconcerned
Stranger anxiety- strongly avoidant
Reunion behaviour- unresponsive
Separation anxiety- intensely distressed
Stranger anxiety- fearful
Reunion behaviour- clinginess mixed with rejection
Securely attached
Insecure-avoidant
Insecure-resistant
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.
Imposed eticTools created (SS)Imposed on non western cultures
Cultural relativismThe theory can not then be used/generalised in other cultures
Cultural biashttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5aPU7KWqJw Kibbutz
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 over-simplification 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.
• · refers to whether you can produce the same results if tested again.
• · refers to the extent to which the 'Strange Situation' actually measures what it is supposed to measure
Consistency
Truth/accuracy
Reliability
Validity
• 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.
• This is called test-retest reliability and checks for
Main et al study
They found that 100% of the secure babies were still classified as secure and 75% of the avoidant babies were still under the same classification
consistency over time.
•Ainsworth herself also tested inter-rater reliability•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 reliabilityRefers to whether you can produce the SAME/CONSISTENT results if tested again
Define the term validityThe 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
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