What is the Ainsworth Strange Situation test?
What is the Ainsworth Strange Situation test?
The Strange situation is a standardized procedure devised by Mary Ainsworth in the 1970s to observe attachment security in children within the context of caregiver relationships. It applies to infants between the age of nine and 18 months.
What was Mary Ainsworth experiment?
Ainsworth devised an experiment called the “Strange Situation” in reaction to John Bowlby’s initial finding that infants form an emotional bond to its caregiver. In this experiment, the infant is placed in scenarios with or without its mother as well as with or without a stranger.
What did the original Ainsworth Strange Situation test measure?
The original method, developed by the influential psychologist Mary Ainsworth, is the laboratory procedure called the “Strange Situation” (Ainsworth et al 1978). Typically, the Strange Situation tests how babies or young children respond to the temporary absence of their mothers.
Why is Mary Ainsworth important?
Mary Ainsworth (December 1, 1913 – March 21, 1999) was a developmental psychologist perhaps best known for her Strange Situation assessment and contributions to the area of attachment theory. Based on her research, she identified three major styles of attachment that children have to their parents or caregivers.
How is Mary Ainsworth theory used today?
Ainsworth’s impact on Psychology Mary Ainsworth’s research work on attachment helps us to understand the child development better. Today, the technique of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation is commonly used in psychiatry and psychology to examine the attachment pattern between mother and a child.
Did Bowlby and Ainsworth work together?
Attachment theory is the joint work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991 ). Although Bowlby and Ainsworth worked independently of each other during their early careers, both were influenced by Freud and other psychoanalytic thinkers-directly in Bowlby’s case, indirectly in Ainsworth’s.
What kind of test did Mary Ainsworth do?
Mary Ainsworth developed a test known as the Strange Situation test, which has now become a standard test for researching infants’ respond to a slightly stressful situation. During the test, the infant is brought into a room with her mother and the infant is allowed to explore the room and play with the toys.
Why was the strange situation technique created by Mary Ainsworth?
Ainsworth and her colleagues created a laboratory test that measured an infant’s attachment to his or her parent. The test is called The Strange Situation Technique because it is conducted in a context that is unfamiliar to the child and therefore likely to heighten the child’s need for his or her parent (Ainsworth, 1979).
Which is the best book to buy at Ainsworths?
Whether you’re looking for information and advice or you’re an expert looking for top quality homoeopathic remedies, our extensive library of literature and huge catalogue is all here for you. An old favourite, Bryonia Linctus is a soothing preparation to ease those tickly or hacking winter coughs.
When did Mary Ainsworth move to the University?
9. Mary Ainsworth moved from Johns Hopkins to the University of Virginia in 1975. She died in 1999. Mary Ainsworth developed a test known as the Strange Situation test, which has now become a standard test for researching infants’ respond to a slightly stressful situation.