Child Psychology Questions

The first 200 words of this essay...

Child Psychology

A1.

a) Outline the behaviour of a securely attached child during the Strange Situation procedure (3)

During the strange situation procedure, the child is left in the observation room with either the primary care giver or a stranger, with the observer looking on. A securely attached child will use the care giver as a secure base for exploring the room and playing with toys. However, when the care giver leaves the room, the child will most likely protest and cry, but can be easily comforted. The child will generally prefer the care giver to the stranger, and may be slightly less keen to explore their surroundings with the stranger present.

b) Evaluate the Strange Situation as a procedure to measure attachment type (4)

The strange situation, as an observation, may be subject to observer bias; since the observer knows the type of behaviour they are looking for and may be influenced by this when taking notes. The procedure also lacks ecological validity, since the child is not being observed in their normal surroundings, and there could be ethical issues with causing unnecessary distress to children by removing the care giver and placing