Types of attachment
Ainsworth and Bell carried out a study called the strange situation. The aim was to assess the quality
of a baby's attachment to its caregiver. It was a controlled observational study, with a 2-way mirror
so that psychologists could observe the babies' behaviour. There were five categories used to judge
attachment quality. The first was proximity seeking, which is when well-attached babies stay close to
their caregivers. Exploration and secure base behaviour are when babies explore their area whilst
coming back to the caregiver if they wanted to have support. Stranger anxiety is displayed by well-
attached babies when they are afraid of strangers. Separation anxiety is also displayed by well-
attached babies and is when they are sad when the caregiver leaves the room. Reunion behaviour is
when the caregiver returns after leaving the baby, and well-attached babies are enthusiastic and
happy when they see their caregiver again. The procedure had seven episodes, which each lasted
three minutes. Firstly, the baby is encouraged to explore the room by their caregiver. Then a
stranger enters the room and approaches the baby. The caregiver then leaves the baby and the
stranger alone, and then they come back in again as the stranger leaves. Next, the baby is left alone
in the room. Then the stranger returns, and then the caregiver returns.
Ainsworth and Bell found 3 patterns in the way that the babies behaved, and they fit into these
three attachment types. Firstly, a secure attachment occurs in 60-75% of toddlers. The baby is happy
to explore but wants to stay close to their caregiver. They show moderate separation and stranger
anxiety and accept comfort from their caregiver on the reunion. The second type of attachment was
an insecure-avoidant attachment, which occurs in 20-25% of toddlers. The baby explores freely and
doesn't come back to their caregiver. They don't show any stranger or separation anxiety, and they
don't seem to care or notice when their caregiver comes back in. The final type of attachment is
insecure-resistant attachment. This is when the baby doesn't explore as much and likes to be close
to their caregiver all the time. They show intense stranger and separation anxiety, and they resist
comfort when their caregiver returns.
A strength of the strange situation is that it has good predictive validity. Attachment types can
predict later development. For example, secure babies have greater success at school. Insecure-
resistant attachment is associated with the worst outcomes, such as bullying and adult mental
health problems. This shows there is evidence for how attachment types can predict future
outcomes.
However the strange situation might be measuring something that predicts later development, it
might be measuring genetic differences in anxiety. This means that the strange situation might not
measure attachment.
Another strength is that the stranger situation has good inter-rater reliability. Different observers
watching the same babies agree on the attachment type. This is because the strange situation takes
place in controlled conditions and because the behavioural categories are easy to observe. This
means that researchers are confident that the attachment type of a baby in the strange situation
doesn't just depend on who's observing them, they are most likely to be accurate.
A limitation is that the strange situation is culture-bound. The test might not have the same meaning
outside Europe and the US, where it was created. Cultural differences mean that children grow up
and are treated differently. For example, Japanese babies show anxiety because they are not used to
being left by their caregivers. This means that it is difficult to know what the strange situation is
measuring in some countries.
Ainsworth and Bell carried out a study called the strange situation. The aim was to assess the quality
of a baby's attachment to its caregiver. It was a controlled observational study, with a 2-way mirror
so that psychologists could observe the babies' behaviour. There were five categories used to judge
attachment quality. The first was proximity seeking, which is when well-attached babies stay close to
their caregivers. Exploration and secure base behaviour are when babies explore their area whilst
coming back to the caregiver if they wanted to have support. Stranger anxiety is displayed by well-
attached babies when they are afraid of strangers. Separation anxiety is also displayed by well-
attached babies and is when they are sad when the caregiver leaves the room. Reunion behaviour is
when the caregiver returns after leaving the baby, and well-attached babies are enthusiastic and
happy when they see their caregiver again. The procedure had seven episodes, which each lasted
three minutes. Firstly, the baby is encouraged to explore the room by their caregiver. Then a
stranger enters the room and approaches the baby. The caregiver then leaves the baby and the
stranger alone, and then they come back in again as the stranger leaves. Next, the baby is left alone
in the room. Then the stranger returns, and then the caregiver returns.
Ainsworth and Bell found 3 patterns in the way that the babies behaved, and they fit into these
three attachment types. Firstly, a secure attachment occurs in 60-75% of toddlers. The baby is happy
to explore but wants to stay close to their caregiver. They show moderate separation and stranger
anxiety and accept comfort from their caregiver on the reunion. The second type of attachment was
an insecure-avoidant attachment, which occurs in 20-25% of toddlers. The baby explores freely and
doesn't come back to their caregiver. They don't show any stranger or separation anxiety, and they
don't seem to care or notice when their caregiver comes back in. The final type of attachment is
insecure-resistant attachment. This is when the baby doesn't explore as much and likes to be close
to their caregiver all the time. They show intense stranger and separation anxiety, and they resist
comfort when their caregiver returns.
A strength of the strange situation is that it has good predictive validity. Attachment types can
predict later development. For example, secure babies have greater success at school. Insecure-
resistant attachment is associated with the worst outcomes, such as bullying and adult mental
health problems. This shows there is evidence for how attachment types can predict future
outcomes.
However the strange situation might be measuring something that predicts later development, it
might be measuring genetic differences in anxiety. This means that the strange situation might not
measure attachment.
Another strength is that the stranger situation has good inter-rater reliability. Different observers
watching the same babies agree on the attachment type. This is because the strange situation takes
place in controlled conditions and because the behavioural categories are easy to observe. This
means that researchers are confident that the attachment type of a baby in the strange situation
doesn't just depend on who's observing them, they are most likely to be accurate.
A limitation is that the strange situation is culture-bound. The test might not have the same meaning
outside Europe and the US, where it was created. Cultural differences mean that children grow up
and are treated differently. For example, Japanese babies show anxiety because they are not used to
being left by their caregivers. This means that it is difficult to know what the strange situation is
measuring in some countries.
