The Strange Situation: A Technique For Assessing Infant Attachment
The first years of a child’s life are characterized by a set of significant changes, in which emotional development and the establishment of social ties take on special relevance. This has led psychology professionals to delve deeper into the relationships of security and protection established between babies and their primary caregivers. The most notable contribution is the Attachment Theory developed by John Bowlby between 1969 and 1980.
Attachment refers to the emotional, affective and intense bond established between a baby and its main caregiver, usually the mother or father. This bonding style begins in childhood, around 3 months of age, and continues throughout life, in relationships with friends, partners and children. In this way, the attitude of parents towards their children and the type of attachment established between them will determine the quality of the emotional bonds that the baby will establish throughout her life.
Although Bowlby laid the foundations for this theory, it was the psychologist Mary Ainsworth, who in 1960 developed the first attachment assessment technique, known as “Strange Situation” Let’s see what it consists of.
This is a technique designed by psychologist Mary Ainsworth and used in Developmental Psychology in order to determine the nature of the attachment style in children from 12 months of age. This technique involves studying the child in laboratory conditions, in interaction with the child’s main caregiver and a strange adult, simulating three types of situations:
The experiment was carried out in a small room with univision glass, in order to observe the baby’s behavior covertly. The sample was made up of 100 middle-class American families, with babies between 12 and 18 months.
The procedure to follow
The procedure consisted of observing the baby’s behavior in a series of 8 episodes that lasted approximately 3 minutes each, and could be shortened if the baby was excessively distressed. The different stages of the experiment are presented below:
1. Mother, baby and experimenter
In this phase, the observer introduces mother and baby to an experimental room with toys Lasts approximately 30 seconds.
2. Mother and baby
In this episode, the baby is dedicated to exploring the room and the toys while the mother does not participate in the activity.
3. The stranger joins the mother and son
It is the moment when a stranger enters the room. During the first minute he remains silent, to talk to the mother in the second minute. During the third minute, the stranger begins to approach the baby
4. The mother leaves the baby and the stranger alone
It is the first episode of separation in which the mother leaves the room The stranger’s behavior is coordinated with that of the baby.
5. The mother returns and the stranger leaves
It is the first reunion episode. The mother enters, greets and comforts the baby trying to get him to return to his playing activity.
The separation from the mother continues, but now the stranger enters to try to interact with the baby
8. The mother returns and a stranger leaves
It is the second episode of reunion in which the mother enters takes the baby in her arms and the stranger leaves the room.
Classification of attachment styles
Attachment classifications are based primarily on the observation of 4 interaction behaviors directed toward the mother in the two reunion episodes (Episodes 5 and 8). These behaviors are:
The observer notes the behavior displayed during 15-second intervals and rates the intensity of the behavior on a scale of 1 to 7. At the end of the observation, three attachment styles are established to describe the bonding that babies show with their mothers..
1. Secure Attachment
Babies feel safe to explore freely during separation episodes They show distress when the mother leaves and react with enthusiasm when she returns. This pattern occurred in 65% of the babies.
2. Avoidant Attachment
Infants included in this guideline are described as insecure-avoidant. They show little anxiety when faced with separation and when the mother returns they tend to avoid her This case occurred in 25% of babies.
3. Ambivalent Attachment
The baby shows signs of distress throughout the entire procedure, especially during separation. Meetings with someone who cares for you produce a mixture of release and anger directed to it. This pattern occurred in only 10% of the babies.
To learn more about attachment and its different types, you can consult this article: “Child attachment: definition, functions and types”
