Mary Ainsworth
Mary Ainsworth | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Dinsmore Salter December 1, 1913 Glendale, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 1999 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Known for | Strange situation |
| Spouse |
Leonard Ainsworth
(m. 1950; div. 1960) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychoanalysis |
| Doctoral advisor | William E. Blatz |
Mary Dinsmore Ainsworth (née Salter; December 1, 1913 – March 21, 1999) was an American-Canadian developmental psychologist known for her work in the development of the attachment theory. She designed the strange situation procedure to observe early emotional attachment between a child and their primary caregiver.
A 2002 Review of General Psychology survey ranked Ainsworth as the 97th most cited psychologist of the 20th century. Many of Ainsworth's studies are "cornerstones" of modern-day attachment theory.