| Course | INHE 2003 Human Development |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Article summary |
| Length | About 530 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Integrative Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for INHE 2003 Week 8
How One-Year-Olds Organize Their Behavior Toward a Caregiver Under Mild Stress: An Article Summary of Ainsworth and Bell's Strange Situation Study in Four Labeled Parts, Describing Each Attachment Pattern by What Infants Did at Reunion and Naming the Limits of a Narrow Sample
Student Name
Walden University
INHE 2003: Human Development
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
How One-Year-Olds Organize Their Behavior Toward a Caregiver Under Mild Stress: An Article Summary of Ainsworth and Bell's Strange Situation Study in Four Labeled Parts, Describing Each Attachment Pattern by What Infants Did at Reunion and Naming the Limits of a Narrow Sample
Purpose
Ainsworth and Bell (1970) set out to learn how infants around their first birthday organize their behavior toward a caregiver when they are under mild stress, and how the balance between exploring and seeking closeness to the caregiver shifts as stress increases. They designed a laboratory procedure, now called the Strange Situation, to create that stress in small, controlled steps.
Method
The procedure took place in a playroom stocked with toys. In a series of short episodes, the infant was first in the room with the caregiver, usually the mother; then a stranger entered; then the caregiver left the infant with the stranger and later returned; then the caregiver left the infant alone, the stranger returned, and finally the caregiver returned again. Observers watched through a one-way window and recorded what the infant did in each episode, paying particular attention to behavior at the two reunions with the caregiver: whether the infant approached, sought contact, was comforted, avoided the caregiver or seemed angry. The infants studied were one-year-olds from white, middle-class families.
Findings
The researchers reported that most infants explored the playroom actively while the caregiver was present, explored less when the stranger entered and showed distress when the caregiver left. At reunion, infants differed in ways that formed distinct patterns, set out more fully in the later book-length report of the procedure (Ainsworth et al., 1978). Infants classified as secure went to the caregiver when she came back, settled soon after being held and went back to the toys. Infants classified as anxious-avoidant showed little distress at separation and, at reunion, looked or turned away from the caregiver rather than approaching. Infants classified as anxious-resistant were very distressed by separation and, at reunion, both sought contact and resisted it, for example reaching to be picked up and then pushing away, and were hard to comfort. The researchers interpreted these patterns as reflecting differences in the infants' expectations about the caregiver's availability, built from the history of their interactions at home.
Limits
The samples were small and drawn from white, middle-class American families, so the findings describe a narrow group. Later research in other countries has found different distributions of the patterns, which raises the question of how much the procedure's meaning depends on cultural expectations about separation. The setting is a laboratory, and a single short session may not reflect an infant's everyday relationship. Finally, the patterns describe behavior toward one caregiver in one situation, so they cannot by themselves show how an infant will develop later. The course textbook presents attachment research as foundational while noting these questions about culture and context (Lally & Valentine-French, 2019).
Why It Matters
The study gave developmental psychology a standard way to observe attachment, and its emphasis on behavior at reunion, rather than at separation, has shaped how attachment is assessed. For integrative health students, it shows how carefully observed behavior can reveal patterns in relationships that a simple question could not.
References
Ainsworth, M. D. S., & Bell, S. M. (1970). Attachment, exploration, and separation: Illustrated by the behavior of one-year-olds in a strange situation. Child Development, 41(1), 49-67. https://doi.org/10.2307/1127388
Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Lally, M., & Valentine-French, S. (2019). Lifespan development: A psychological perspective (2nd ed.). College of the Canyons.
Reading the INHE 2003 Week 8 instructions
This assignment asks you to summarize one classic study in developmental psychology in your own words. Organize the summary under labeled parts: purpose, method, findings and limits, with a short closing note on why the study matters. State the question the researchers asked, describe the procedure so plainly that someone new to it could follow each step, and report the findings without exaggerating them. When later work refined the findings, say so and cite it. Name limits concrete to this study, such as the sample, the setting or what the measure can and cannot show. Cite the original article and any later sources in APA style, quote sparingly and keep the summary to about a page. Report the study, not your opinion of attachment in general.
How this INHE 2003 Week 8 example is built
The Strange Situation summary states the study's purpose in two sentences: how infants balance exploring and seeking closeness as stress rises. The method section walks through the episodes in order, from caregiver and infant alone to the final return, and notes that observers watched the reunions most closely. The findings section reports exploration, distress at separation and differences at reunion, then credits the 1978 book for the fuller classification and describes secure and avoidant infants by what they did. The limits section names the narrow sample, cross-national differences, the laboratory setting and the fact that one session cannot predict later development. A closing section explains how the emphasis on reunion shaped later assessment.
INHE 2003 Week 8 rubric: what earns full marks
Accuracy is weighed first. Graders check that the purpose, procedure and findings match what the original study reported, and that later refinements are attributed to later sources. A method description clear enough to picture the procedure earns more than a list of terms. Findings should be stated at the strength the study supports. Limits count when they are specific to this study's sample, setting and measure. Labeled parts help a reader find each element quickly. Writing in your own words, with few quotations, is expected. Summaries that blend the original with later work, overstate what one session shows or name only generic limits generally sit in the middle range.
INHE 2003 Week 8 help: mistakes that cost marks
Read the original article's introduction and method before the findings, and write the question in one sentence. Sketch the procedure as a numbered list of episodes, then turn it into a paragraph. When you reach the findings, note which ones come from this article and which from later reports, since classic studies are often described with later refinements. For limits, ask who was studied, where and for how long. Then write a short note on why the study is still taught. Keep each part under its own label. Check every number and name against the source. A tutor can help you separate original findings from later ones, and the summary above models each part.
Get a INHE 2003 Week 8 example written to your instructions
Should a different study be assigned, perhaps on language, temperament, or aging, the summary keeps the same four parts and the same attention to proportion. Share the article or its citation with the prompt and rubric; the summary is back in 24-48h and the first is free. Name the citation style required.
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INHE 2003 Week 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free INHE 2003 Week 8 sample paper?
The article summary of Ainsworth and Bell's Strange Situation study is shown in full above.
Which study does the INHE 2003 Week 8 sample summarize?
Ainsworth and Bell's 1970 study of attachment, exploration and separation in one-year-olds.
What did observers watch most closely?
The infant's behavior at the two reunions with the caregiver.
Why is the 1978 book cited separately?
Because the fuller set of attachment patterns was set out in that later, book-length report.
What limits does the summary name?
Small, narrow samples, different patterns in other countries, a laboratory setting and a single session.