Attachment - Cultural variations in attachment

Question 1

What was the AIM of key study in cultural variations in attachment?

Answer 1

Van Ijzendoorn conducted a study to look at the proportion of secure, insecure-avoidant & insecure-resistant

Question 2

Who completed the key study in cultural variations in attachment?

Answer 2

Van Ijzendoorn

Question 3

What was the procedure of the key study in cultural variations in attachment?

Answer 3

A meta-analysis on Ainsworth Strange situations
32 studies done in eight countries which yielded a result for 1990 children

Question 4

What is a meta analysis?

Answer 4

A meta-analysis is secondary data and analysis of all of the data to find a conclusion

Question 5

What were the findings of the key study in cultural variations in attachment?

Answer 5

In all countries:
Secure attachment was the most common
(e.g. 75% in England)
Insecure-resistance was the least common type of attachment (e.g. 3% in England)
Insecure-avoidant was most common in Germany & Least common in Japan
Variations between results of the study varied with in the same country were 150% greater than those between countries

Question 6

STRENGTH 1 - High internal validity

Answer 6

P: Combining the results, carried out in different countries means there was a larger sample size.
E: Van Ijzendoorn meta-analysis had a sample of 1990 children’s results
E: This large sample size means an increase in internal validity by reducing the anomalous result caused by bad methodology
L: Therefore

Question 7

WEAKNESS 1 - Unrepresentative of culture ( Cultural bias)

Answer 7

P: Meta-analysis can be unrepresentative of culture
E: Comparison between countries and not cultures can lead to an overrepresented rural sample
E: Ijzendoorn & Sagi (2001) Found distributions of attachment typesin Tokyo were more similar to the western studies, whereas more rural samples had an overrepresentation of insecure resistance
L: Therefore

Question 8

WEAKNESS 2 - Cultural bias due to method of assessment

Answer 8

P: Method of assessment is biased
E: Strange situations was designed by an American based on a British theory
E: So, trying to apply the theory to another culture is imposed etic
L: Therefore

Question 9

Weakness 3 - Strange situations lacks validity

Answer 9

P: Strange situations lacks validity
E: The attachment type is more related to temperament than the relationship between the primary attachment figure
E: So, its not measuring attachment but anxiety
L: Therefore