The Strange Situation, developed by Mary Ainsworth, is a pivotal method in developmental psychology for evaluating infant-caregiver attachment. It observes infants' reactions to separation and reunion with caregivers, and interactions with strangers. The procedure identifies secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-ambivalent attachment patterns, providing insights into the influence of caregiver responsiveness on a child's emotional and social development.
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Mary Ainsworth developed the Strange Situation classification to assess attachment relationships in infants
Early relationships with caregivers are crucial for a child's development
John Bowlby's Attachment Theory suggests that early relationships with caregivers are essential for a child's social and emotional development
The Strange Situation provides a structured framework for observing infants' responses to separation from and reunion with their caregivers, as well as their interactions with an unfamiliar person
The primary objective of the Strange Situation is to evaluate the quality of attachment between infants and their caregivers by observing the infants' behavior under stress
The original study of the Strange Situation involved observations of 100 middle-class American families with infants aged 12 to 18 months
The Strange Situation unfolds in a series of eight short episodes in a laboratory setting, allowing for a consistent and systematic assessment of attachment behaviors
Proximity seeking refers to the child's attempts to maintain physical closeness to the caregiver
Secure base behavior reflects the child's confidence to explore the environment, using the caregiver as a point of safety
Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety are the child's distress responses to the presence of a stranger and the absence of the caregiver, respectively
Reunion behavior is the manner in which the child greets the caregiver after a separation
Insecure-avoidant attachment is characterized by the child's apparent independence and avoidance upon the caregiver's return
Secure attachment is exemplified by children who exhibit distress during separation but seek comfort and are easily soothed upon the caregiver's return
Insecure-ambivalent attachment is observed in children who show intense distress during separation and ambivalence or resistance to comfort during reunion