Attachment: Van Ijzendoorn - Cultural Variations Of Types Of Attachment

Question 1

What was the Aim of Van Ijzendoorn’s cultural variations?

Answer 1

To investigate cross cultural variations in attachment

Question 2

What was the sample of Van Ijzendoorn’s cultural variations?

Answer 2

32 studies of the Strange Situation from from 8 countries using 2000 children

Question 3

AO3 - How can we evaluate the sample used in Van Ijzendoorn’s research?

Answer 3

• high population validity

Question 4

How many children did cultural variations use?

Answer 4

2000

Question 5

How many countries did the analysis of the strange situation in cultural variations use?

Answer 5

8 countries

Question 6

Cultural variations in attachment in 32 studies of what psychological study?

Answer 6

Strange situation

Question 7

What was Van Ijzendoorn’s method?

Answer 7

Meta analysis of the strange situation (controlled obs)

Question 8

What is a meta- analysis?

Answer 8

Where a researcher will gather results and findings from several pieces of research that already exist and compare findings to develop overall conclusions about behaviour, in this case - attachment.

Question 9

FIndings: Which was the most common attachment type in all cultures?

Answer 9

Secure

Question 10

Which insecure attachment type was most dominant in western cultures?

Answer 10

Insecure avoidant

Question 11

Which insecure attachment type was most dominant in non-western cultures?

Answer 11

Insecure resistant

Question 12

What was the most significant finding?

Answer 12

there was 1.5x (150%) greater variation within cultures than between cultures.

Question 13

What did Van Ijzendoorn conclude?

Answer 13

That there are cultural variations in attachment with differences between insecure attachment types, however there are still some similarities between attachments cross culturally as secure attachment was the most common.

Question 14

AO3 - Van Izjendoorn’s sample selection can be praised. How?

Answer 14

It has high population validity

Question 15

AO3 - Why does Van Ijzendoorn’s research have high population validity?

Answer 15

Because it was a meta analysis of 32 strange situation studies, using a LARGE sample of over 2000 infants from 8 countries.

Question 16

AO3 - Why is Van Ijzendoorn’s research having high population validity a strength?

Answer 16

This means that it is easier to generalise the findings that secure attachment is the most common attachment type in all cultures, to the rest of the target population.

Question 17

AO3 - If Van Izjendoorn’s research can be praised for high population validity, what does this mean for validity?

Answer 17

It increases the external validity of the research into cultural variations in attachment.

Question 18

AO3 - Although Van Izjendoorn’s research can be praised for high population validity, why can the sample be criticised?

Answer 18

For being culture bias.

Question 19

AO3 - Why is the research into cultural variations in attachment criticised for being culture bias?

Answer 19

Because over half of the studies (18/32) were carried out in the USA (individualistic western culture) and only 5 were carried out in non-western collectivist cultures.

Question 20

AO3 - If research into cultural variations in attachment is culture bias, why is that a problem?

Answer 20

It means that it is difficult to generalise the findings that secure attachments are the most common across all cultures when explaining different types of attachment.

Question 21

AO3 - If research into cultural variations in attachment is criticised for being culture bias, how does that affect the validity?

Answer 21

It lowers the external validity of the research into cultural variations in attachment.

Question 22

AO3 - Research into cultural variations in attachment types has been criticised for imposed etic. Define what is meant by Imposed Etic.

Answer 22

When a researcher creates a tool in one culture e.g. western culture to measure a certain behaviour and assumes that the tool can be used universally across all cultures.

Question 23

AO3 - Why can research into cultural variations in attachment be criticised for imposed etic?

Answer 23

uses the strange situation tool created by Ainsworth in the USA (western culture) - so it is based on American child rearing practices and ignores practices in other cultures (that aren’t American).

Question 24

AO3 - What behaviour is encouraged/ seen as desirable in Germany? What attachment type might they show in the SS?

Answer 24

Independence is encouraged/seen as desirable in infants, therefore these infants may show insecure avoidant attachment behaviour during the strange situation.