Mary Ainsworth and the Attachment Theory

1. Mary Ainsworth
Shaquita Gates
Dawlyn Dieudonne
Gerara Ford

2. Who was Mary Ainsworth?
❏ Mary Ainsworth was born December 1, 1913
in Glendale, OH
❏ She worked with psychologist, John
Bowlby, at the Tavistock Clinic in England
where she started her research on
maternal-infant attachments
❏ Most known for her famous "Strange
Situation" assessment, which observes a
child's reactions when their mother briefly
leaves them in an unfamiliar room
❏ After her research, she concluded the
three main attachment styles: secure,
anxious-avoidant, and anxious-resistant

3. Attachment Theory
Mary Ainsworth “attachment theory” was based of the
behavior children exhibited when the caregiver does not
provide the necessary care or is absent. The absence
from the caregiver makes the child insecure.
Furthermore, the lack of a stable mother or caregiver
causes the child to experiences emotional effects.
Ainsworth believed that the attachment between the
caregiver formed a secure base for children to explore.
In addition to, caregivers being sensitive to children
signals of need and patterns. Forming these
securements now makes for a successful adulthood.
This lead to her procedure called “The Strange Situation
Experiment”. This experiment supported her theory by
testing the amount of stress children displayed when a
stranger was near. This lead to researches identifying
four different attachment children have based on their
securement with their caregiver.

4. Attachment Theory cont’d
Stranger Situation Steps:
❏ Mother, baby and experimenter in room while baby
plays.
❏ Mother and baby alone playing.
❏ Stranger joins mother and infant.
❏ Mother leaves baby and stranger alone.
❏ Mother returns and stranger leaves.
❏ Mother leaves; infant left completely alone.
❏ Stranger returns.
❏ Mother returns and stranger leaves.

5. Types of Attachment
Secure - Describes the emotional bond between the
caregiver and their children
Anxious-Ambivalent Insecure - Describes children who
are very suspicious of strangers and display severe
distress when separated from their parents or
caregiver. Comfort and reassurance do not occur when
the parent or caregiver returns.
Anxious-Avoidant Insecure - Describes children who
completely avoid parents and caregivers. They don't
seek comfort or contact.
Disorganized - Describes children who express a mix of
behaviors, like nervousness or avoidance, when their
caregiver or parent approaches them.

6. Resources
Cherry, K. (n.d.). Why Mary Ainsworth Is Important in Child Psychology. Retrieved October 8, 2014,
from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesal/p/ainsworth.htm
McLeod, S. (2008, January 1). Mary Ainsworth | Attachment Styles | Simply Psychology. Retrieved
December 15, 2014, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/mary-ainsworth.html
Images retrieved from Google