Types of attachment: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant
Psychologists classify the bond between a child and their caregiver into three types. Each type describes how the child behaves when separated from, and reunited with, their caregiver.
Real World
Ainsworth's Baltimore study found roughly 66% of American infants were securely attached (Type B), 22% insecure-avoidant (Type A), and 12% insecure-resistant (Type C) — proportions that later cross-cultural research by Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) showed varied significantly between countries such as Japan and Germany.
Exam Focus
Learn the letter labels (A, B, C) alongside the names — short-answer questions sometimes use only the letters.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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