Year 11 Psychology

A Strange Situation at John Fawkner College

The Strange Situation was an experiment designed and conducted by psychologist Mary Ainsworth in the early 1970s. The purpose was to test an infant’s separation anxiety when isolated from their parent and stranger anxiety when introduced to someone new. The observed behaviours were used to make inferences about the infant’s attachment with their caregiver. 

In February, Year 11 Psychology students replicated the Strange Situation at John Fawkner College as part of Area of Study 1: What influences psychological development? The sole participant, my 8-month-old son, exhibited none of the distress predicted by Ainsworth. Rather, he just enjoyed the attention. This made for unexpected results but a fun day for all. 

Al Byers