Attachment - cultural differences

Question 1

collectivist culture

Answer 1

emphasises family and work goals (lots of interdependence)

Question 2

individualistic culture

Answer 2

emphasises personal independence and achievement (sense of competition)

Question 3

van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1958)

Answer 3

meta-analysed proportions of Ainsworth’s attachment types across range of countries and differences within countries. 2000 infants across 8 countries.

Question 4

meta-analysis

Answer 4

summary of similar studies analysing for one particular factors

Question 5

findings of van Ijzendoorn

Answer 5

secure is most prevalent attachment type, avoidant is more common in individualistic cultures and resistant is more common in collectivist cultures.
cultural differences play significant roles in attachment

Question 6

what is the largest difference between countries in secure attachments

Answer 6

75% in Great Britain, 50% in China

Question 7

strengths of van Ijzendoorn?

Answer 7

+ evidence for Bowlby’s biological theory?
+ meta-analysis means unusual results have small impact
+ standardised methodology means can compare cultures and reliability is high
+ secure attachment is ‘norm’ supporting idea its most healthy attachment

Question 8

weaknesses of van Ijzendoorn

Answer 8

• only one study for some countries so doesn’t represent the whole culture
• ethnocentric (27 studies in western countries - 18 in America - and only 5 in non-western countries)
• variation within countries is larger than between countries so suggests it’s not actually down to country/culture but the area and class of the infants

Question 9

Simonelli et al (2014)

Answer 9

studied Italy using the SS, 50% secure, 36% avoidant - because of mothers working and using professional daycare?

Question 10

Takahashi (1990)

Answer 10

68% secure, 32% resistant studied 60 middle class Japanese families. Japan mother is usually at home and very rarely separated from baby - caused intense distress in infants

Question 11

Grossman (1991)

Answer 11

avoidant is most common in Germany as German parents were encouraging independence

Question 12

Tronick et al (1992)

Answer 12

studied an African tribe and saw that infants still only had one primary attachment with mum despite being taken care of by many other people