Strange Situation Procedure (SSP)

The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) is a video observation of infants’ attachment to their parents. In eight three-minute phases, the child is exposed to an increasing amount of stress, culminating in a three-minute period in which they are completely alone. The stressful situations are intended to elicit the child's attachment strategy and to observe the child's behavior accordingly.

In Generation R, the SSP videos were scored on material sensitivity using Ainsworth scale, and the SSP included 5 minutes of free play. The Ainsworth scale has a 9-point rating scale for sensitivity and cooperation.

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Keywords
Constructs
Waves
  • Generation R

  • 1 year
    •   OP1C
    10 months - 41 months   From 2003-01-01 to 2007-12-31
    Mode of collection Observation
    Analysis unit Individual
    Instrument name Strange Situation Procedure (SSP)
    Measure name Parental sensitivity
    References
    Main, M., & Solomon, J. (1990). Procedures for identifying infants as disorganized/disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. In: Attachment in the preschool years: Theory, research, and intervention, 1, 121-160.
    Salter Ainsworth, M. D., & Bell, S. M. (1981). 5. Attachment, Exploration, and Separation: Illustrated by the Behavior of One-Year-Olds in a Strange Situation. The Life Cycle, 57–71. https://doi.org/10.7312/stei93738-006
    Luijk, M. P. C. M., Saridjan, N., Tharner, A., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Bakermans‐Kranenburg, M. J., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Hofman, A., Verhulst, F. C., & Tiemeier, H. (2010). Attachment, depression, and cortisol: Deviant patterns in insecure‐resistant and disorganized infants. Developmental Psychobiology, 52(5), 441–452. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.20446
    You can also access this dataset using the API (see API Docs).