Mary Ainsworth Video - Week 9

299 Words2 Pages
Child Development CD; Week 9 Attachment Patterns Essay Strange-Situation Method In the video, Mary Ainsworth devised what she called the strange situation experiment. This experiment is to test the different types of attachments, children age 14 months form to their caregivers or mothers. Her concern was to find the reaction and level of attachment and quality of attachment children have toward their caregivers. She is showing the behavior of a child, when a stranger is present with the mother present and when there mother leaves the room. Will the child warm up to the stranger when mom is gone? How do the children react when the caregivers return to the room? The video assessed and made available different attachment patterns in children by having them get comfortable with their caregivers and then having a stranger enter the room, first ignoring them and then trying to interact with them. The children were very uncomfortable and distressed when the stranger was present. At this point, the caregivers left the room and the child's reaction of fear and crying, clearly stressed them even more. The stranger had no success in comforting the child. Mom returned to the room, picked up the child, and the reaction of the child showed immediate calming. By involving these different case scenarios with different children, Mary Ainsworth is seeking out Social Referencing regarding the different levels of attachment, in this case, particularly interested in the return of the caregiver to the room and the child's immediate calming, avoidance behavior and/or how resistant or fearful children became. She used the stranger situation experiment to study distress and difference of behavior in children when their security blanket (caregiver) is not present. Reference(s) The Strange Situation - Mary Ainsworth, duration (3:15), User:thibs44-Added

More about Mary Ainsworth Video - Week 9

Open Document