Dr Aris, a developmental psychologist, is conducting observations in a clinic's specialized play-waiting area for toddlers aged 12 to 18 months. She monitors how the children react when their primary caregiver briefly leaves them with a friendly clinic receptionist and when the caregiver returns.
She observes that some toddlers cry intensely and are highly distressed when their mother steps out to complete paperwork. Upon her return, these toddlers cling to her but simultaneously kick, push away toys she offers, and cannot be easily calmed. Other toddlers show no apparent distress when their father leaves the room, continuing to play with a block tower, and actively look away or move away from him when he returns, ignoring his attempts to greet them. Dr Aris also notices that the caregivers show marked differences in how quickly and sensitively they respond to their children’s vocalizations and gestures during the initial play.
Evaluate Ainsworth’s classification of attachment types in relation to the toddlers in the clinic's waiting area.
You must make reference to the context in your answer.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Bowlby's work on attachment, Ainsworth and the Strange Situation, Research into deprivation, Research into privation, Research into day care, Cross-cultural research into attachment, Autism, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
