AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY OF DAY-CARE CHILDREN AND REUNION TIME IN AN ADAPTED VERSION OF THE STRANGE SITUATION EXPERIMENT

This exploratory study examined the length of reunion time in the fina l episode of an adapted version of the strange situation experiment. T he specific question raised was whether the brief reunion period used in the strange situation is sufficient to determine attachment in pres chool children. Forty day care children were observed at reunion with their mothers. The reunion period was extended to 20 minutes from the customary 3-5 minutes to allow the children more time to reunite. Resu lts indicated that day care children who scored less than the maximum at 3 minutes showed less resistance and avoidance over time (3-20 min. ). Thus, these children seemed to show more positive attachment behavi ors at reunion when given an extended period of time to do so.