The strange situation

The study of the relationships that infants (usually between 12 months and 24 months) have with parents has been much influenced by a standardised procedure known as the strange situation.

This procedure was designed by Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues. The strange situation allows investigators to see how infants react to potentially stressful events; when a stranger enters a room and when the infant’s caregiver leaves the room. There also is interest in the way an infant reacts at reunion with the caregiver.

The strange situation usually involves the sequence detailed on the following pages.

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