The Strange Situation | Mary Ainsworth, 1969 | Developmental Psychology

In 1969, American psychologist Mary Ainsworth gave developmental psychology a new procedure for studying attachment in infants.
-----------------------------------------
Discover more on our website: www.psychologyunlocked.com/str...
-----------------------------------------
She called it the Strange Situation Classification, and it is widely referred to as simply the Strange Situation.
As an adult you know when you’ve formed an attachment with someone; you know how it feels and you know how to express your feelings in words. However, when it comes to babies and young children they haven’t yet developed these skills and therefore researchers must turn to more subtle techniques.
-----------------------------------------
REALLY USEFUL PSYCHOLOGY TEXTBOOK: amzn.to/397QCm9 (Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, 7th ed., Richard Gross)
-----------------------------------------
Such as the Strange Situation, which measures the security of an attachment in 1 to 2 year olds; a twenty minute participatory observation, during which the researcher observes the infant’s behavioural responses to a series of scenarios.
Ainsworth’s strange situation includes eight stages, each lasting roughly 3 minutes:
Stage 1: Mother and Baby
Stage 2: Mother, Baby and Stranger
Stage 3: Stranger and Baby
Stage 4: Mother returns
Stage 5: Stranger leaves
Stage 6: Mother leaves, leaving baby alone
Stage 7: Stranger returns
Stage 8: Mother returns and stranger leaves
So what were the researchers measuring? When the mother was in the room with the baby, they scored the infant’s behaviour on four measures:
Proximity and contact-seeking; Contact maintaining; Avoidance of proximity and contact; and resistance to contact and comforting. The baby’s exploratory behaviours were also recorded as they explored the environment.
-----------------------------------------
ALSO WATCH THIS: • Pavlov's Dogs and How ... (How People Learn: Pavlov's Study of Conditioning)
-----------------------------------------
Ainsworth reported that infants display one of three attachment types:
Securely attached infants showed distress when separated from their mother, were avoidant of the stranger when alone but friendly in the presence of their mother, and were happy when the mother returned from outside the room. Seventy percent of children studied fell into this category.
Fifteen percent of children demonstrated an ambivalent attachment with their mother. These children showed intense distress when the mother left the room, and demonstrated a significant fear of the stranger. When the mother returned to the room, ambivalent children approached the mother but rejected contact.
Ainsworth reported that a final fifteen percent had an avoidant attachment style. Such infants show no interest when the mother leaves the room and play happily with the stranger. When the mother returns, avoidant children barely seem to notice.
In 1990, Main and Solomon added that a very small percentage were inconstant in their behaviours and defined this attachment style as disorganised.
Ainsworth’s caregiver sensitivity hypothesis suggests that differences in infants’ attachment styles are dependent on the mother’s behaviour towards the baby during a critical period of development.
-----------------------------------------
Support Psychology Unlocked on Patreon: / psychologyunlocked
Sign up for our FREE Weekly eZine: bit.ly/PsyZine
Free Online Psychology Textbook: www.psychologyunlocked.com/tex...
Follow us on Twitter: / psyunlocked
-----------------------------------------
Recommended Psychology Textbook: amzn.to/397QCm9 (Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, 7th ed., Richard Gross)
-----------------------------------------
Written & Presented by Daniel Edward: www.danieledwarduk.com
Daniel Edward's KZbin Channel: / @youtubequizclub4224
-----------------------------------------
Subscribe for more Psychology videos and get in touch in the comments if you have any video requests. As always, if you've got any comments or questions, please get in touch via the comments below and I'll get back to you!
-----------------------------------------
Music by JukeDeck

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

My most recommended Psychology textbook: amzn.to/3wFZiPD

[@williamlarder6393]

Anyone else watching this in Psychology class online

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thanks for watching - hope it helped :)

[@cathspace]

Yeh lol

[@harsonpakeer7499]

i am lol

[@Piyawan23]

I'm doing a childcare class online

[@koopb3990]

I got a 15 page paper due in 30 minutes 😂

[@ValentinaShouldbeoffgrid]

always love learning more about attachment styles, it's so important to reparent our inner child according to our needs so that we can have healthy, fulfilling relationships as adults!

[@masterxyr]

isn't that the truth..

[@jbailey6339]

2:00 whatever that creature is in the back just died😂😂

[@sixteenstringjack]

LMAO!

[@markcueto1027]

LOOOOOOL

[@paolarocha5992]

LMAO I see it now

[@katieportillo7177]

What happened to the rabbit? Now I want to know if it is okay.

[@bethanysingsmrs849]

omfg i was trying to concentrate in my psy class and you said this and I started freeking laughing and smirking and jfc

[@peilin6212]

Did anyone catch the bunny flop in the background. Cute bunny. haha

[@pinkpirulita]

Adorable bunny! I wonder if it was in a cage though. :(

[@LesliWebandMediaSvcsonYouTube]

I'm just starting out as a graduate student in counseling and this is a great video with a great visual on the strange situation experiment, which most of us are just reading about in a textbook. Thanks for bringing a little bit of life to it!

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Good luck with the course!

[@chloemair5872]

You presented this really clearly. Thanks for consolidating my understanding!

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thanks for your comment! Glad the video helped

[@Froidlings]

Really great concise presentation - I will be using in my course this semester!

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thank you so much! I hope your students like it too!

[@dr.donitam.lester1947]

This was very nice! Very detailed in a very short period of time. I know I have a better understanding of 'Strange Situation' by Mary Ainsworth! This may appear on my LPC exam. I have subscribed to your chanel.:)

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thank you for subscribing and I'm really pleased you enjoyed this video!

[@nidaasif1184]

Beautifully explained. Thank you so much

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

You're welcome :)

[@ishitagarg9438]

Perfectly explained. Thank u for this short video it makes my learning easy by watching it visually.😊

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thank you :) I'm glad it helped!

[@gabe-po9yi]

Good explanation.

[@fabriziomonaco5974]

Thanks: it's so clear!

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

You're welcome! Thanks for commenting

[@ainedoyle3931]

Thank you for the clear and easy to follow video :)

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

You're welcome! Thanks for commenting!

[@brittneyoudbier4925]

Googling how bunnies sleep, to make sure that rabbit is okay... lmao

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Hahahaha

[@mariabacha3512]

Does anyone know where to read more on the data that describes what mothering practices look like with the baby that produces or influences the attachment styles?

[@klaudiahickey6647]

Such a good video! Thank you :)

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thank you!

[@zororaistore]

Good video ...really understood

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@mariaceciliafriedrich8585]

how amazing :)

[@seanx5150]

Helpful video, thanks :)

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

+Sean Reed You're welcome, glad it helped!

[@raquelgeneve]

Well done

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thank you :)

[@Zoralda]

Pls show the not optimal cases too. On the video is only the optimal case. About the others you only speak, but not show.

[@AaqarshAiyyar]

Interesting

[@leolewensztain9296]

Which of the 4 types is shown on the video? I cant tell if its secure, avoidant or maybe disorganized?

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

More than likely that this child is securely attached - I've cut out sections of the video because the full strange situation is longer than this video. So that probably explains why it's harder to tell... That said, remember that people are trained specifically to classify the baby's behaviours, so it does take some training to become a reliable assessor :)

[@annmarie3685]

the rabbit in the back is soooo cute!

[@AlbanBytyqi]

I am confused. Which option is the healthiest, secure attachment right?

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Secure attachment is thought to be the preferred attachment style, and it's definitely the most common... Which leads people to conclude that the majority must be right. That's not to say that that a child with a different attachment type is doomed in life though, they just approach relationships differently

[@AlbanBytyqi]

@@PsychologyUnlocked thanks very much. Sue Gerhardt's book why love matters is just phenomenal

[@sjwgenius7347]

Can any psychology student tell me how the hell you can remember all these theories and development stages?

[@larakilic8826]

That's the thing is can't 😭😭😭😭

[@nzpaws]

You have to go over them as soon as you learn them, and then at the end of each topic or something go back and make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. I use flash cards - one side has the researchers name and the other has their experiment. I repeat what I wrote until I remember it and it works well

[@LuminantMoon]

It was really interesting see the attachment styles with the baby but I have a question, what would happen it a male entered the room with the baby instead of a female.

[@AaqarshAiyyar]

What kind of impacts these experiment would have when the baby grows up.

[@LuckeyWlas]

Babies pass through worst experiences everyday. People are generally convinced that newborns must to be autonomous and need to stay alone. It's weird.

[@farahhuq5086]

I’m wondering the same thing. This experiment sounds traumatizing (especially the 3 min the baby is completely alone, followed by 3 min with only the experimenter in the room)

[@jamessm4401]

0:01 "In 1969" nice:D

[@sapper72783]

So is the first attachment the ideal attachment. I rewatched and 1st is closest to ideal but 2/3 of avoidant wasn't awful. Also this mother needs to work on her relationship with her child

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Secure attachment is the ideal attachment style, or at the very least it's the "typical" attachment style and therefore perceived to be the ideal style. That's not to say that there aren't many very well-adapted adults who had insecure attachments as infants...

[@meghangossett3091]

Wonder if this works with adopted children

[@jordanbeattie3522]

i'm doing a group project for psychology of personality and one of my group members is actually using a peer reviewed journal article on that. here's the title if you're still interested. "Adoption and attachment theory’ the attachment models of adoptive mothers and the revision of attachment patterns of their late-adopted children"

[@LuckeyWlas]

It depends...

[@marqizaa]

what if the mother is struggling to love her child from when the child was born, what is the child started going to nursery from the age of 7months and his mother still struggles to bond with him??The mother is attending therapy, but my concern is about her child's emotional development..I think the child would be better off if he was adopted..what is your opinion..??

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thanks for your comment - this sounds like a tough situation, but is more common than people realise. Many mothers have difficulty connecting with their baby in the early stages, and therapy is definitely a good approach to consider. Just because there are challenges in the first year, doesn't mean the child will suffer in the long term. If the therapy and other treatments are productive then the mother will grow into the relationship. Support network is really important too.

[@jesstiss222]

BUT IS THE BUNNY OK????😰

[@CharlotteCroghan]

thaaaanks

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

You're welcome :)

[@PaulCroslandRefugeTreeWoods]

On #ValentinesDay I discussed this with the #MainWomanInMyLife, trying to work out what's affecting the distance between us after I went away, not for 3minutes but 5weeks in bed in #LockdownMentalHealthCrisis starting two days after Christmas. So far we haven't discussed yet whether she is more affected by ambivalent attachment, avoidant attachment or is displaying that (4%) inconsistent attachment behaviour.

[@jcrocks6698]

Firat, good for you for getting the help you needed. If you're talking about your child, she is likely traumatized and concerned that you are unstable and may leave again, or may leave and not return. (This is not meant as cruelty or a judgment, but rather an explanation of her reaction as a child who doesn't likely understand fully what is happening). Get her help now. These issues will only exacerbate as she gets older. Do research on ACES and children who grow up with parents who are mentally ill. The video talks about how children attach, but in reality, children are responding to their circumstances.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

This makes me sad.

[@hudsona2845]

Why?

[@meapmeap11]

What happened with the bunny omg

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

😂

[@aaahh12345]

Could you please put german caption into the Video?

[@harrispasha6882]

Ayo whats poppin

[@carlosramirezcorria907]

According to Mary Ainsworth, my good friend Eduardo and I are too much of Yogurt Males to even care about the contents of this incompetent research. Mrs. Lazo would disapprove of this as a scholarly work and would scream at me to change it so as to not fail her AP Exam. My girlfriend is also holding me hostage right now.

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Thanks for sharing! I hope your parents have paid the appropriate ransom money to rescue you

[@alibaig1596]

s

[@alessandromatera3492]

70%????? Bah...i somehow doubt it

[@betulafsar9170]

Bu bir güvensiz bağlanma videosu mu

[@xpsprogamer3691]

amkk

[@xpsprogamer3691]

evet

[@nb-eu3sd]

Bdys kkajdbebejk bghhuikkan si

[@samthesnowman666]

lol

[@gailwinds]

Just the mother? What about the rest of the family? Kids have dad and a lot of times older siblings.

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Yes, this is one of the limitations of Ainsworth's original study - it just focused on the infant's relationship with the mother. It follows Bowlby's monotropic theory which suggests that at that age baby's put all their efforts into just one relationship, with their primary care giver, which is usually the mother. Later research has attempted to rectify this gender bias.

[@jcrocks6698]

Because typically a child first bonds with and attaches to their mother or primary care giver.

[@PaulGordonBusby]

What difference would have occured if the baby (female) was joined by a male stranger, or if a male baby was joined by a male stranger? Or if the parent had been the father rather than the mother? Surely research into this must have been done. As it is, I find the study rather incomplete and bordering on being sexist, the implication being that only women can look after children.

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

Hi Paul - really interesting point. The original study is limited in its understanding of the role of gender ... Something of a sign of the times given the study was conducted at the end of the 1960s. There have been further studies which can provide indications of gender roles - the consensus opinion is that infants demonstrate a bias to their primary care giver, which is usually the mother due to proximity at that age. As children develop they demonstrate different attitudes towards strangers, however this doesn't tend to be gendered until later in childhood.

[@bethanysingsmrs849]

Nothing would of changed unless the mum kept the baby away from males. Males are nurturing too so it would of been the same

[@galvatrixv]

Dude, this was conducted back in the 1960s

[@ajrwilde14]

get that rabbit out of that cage immediately, what way to treat an animal

[@PsychologyUnlocked]

If you think that's bad, have you seen the animal studies of attachment that they were doing in the 20th century? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iabbpIibgd-EqbM - Harlow's monkey study is very mean to the monkeys :(