Chapter 3.8 - Cultural variations in attachment Flashcards
What is meant by cultural variations?
The differences in norms and values that exist between people in different groups
Describe IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s procedure
- Meta analysis of 32 studies of the strange situation
- Conducted in 8 countries, 15 were in the US
- Results of 1,990 children
What were the findings of their research?
- Individualist cultures: rates of I-R A were similar to the original sample ( all under 14%)
- Collectivist cultures: rates if I-R A were above
Describe an Italian study
- 76 babies ages 12 months were assessed using the strange situation
- 50% were secure, lower rate
- 36% were insecure-avoidant, higher rate
What does the Italian study suggest?
That this is because of the increasing number of mothers with very young children who work long hours and use professional childcare
- The patterns of attachment types are not static but vary with cultural change
Describe a Korean study
- 87 babies were assessed using the strange situation
- Overall proportions of insecure and secure babies were similar to most countries
- Most of the insecure were insecure-resistant and only one was avoidant
- Similar distribution found in Japan: similar child rearing styles
What conclusion can be made?
- Secure attachment seems to be the norm in many cultures, supporting Bowlby’s idea that attachment is innate and universal
- Research shows that cultural practices have an influence on attachment type
What is a strength of research on cultural variations in attachment? (indigenous researchers)
- Indigenous psychologists are those from the same cultural background as the participants
- Most of the research was conducted by them
- Avoided potential problems in cross-cultural research such as misunderstanding of languages used by participants or difficulty communicating to them AND bias of nation’s stereotypes
- The researchers and participants communicated successfully- enhancing the validity of the data collected
What is a counterpoint of research on cultural variations in attachment? (indigenous researchers)
- Not all cross-cultural research had indigenous researchers
- Morelli and Tronick were outsiders from America when studying child rearing and patterns of attachment in the Efé of Zarie
- Data might be affected by difficulties in gathering data from participants outside their own culture
- Data might have been affected by bias and miscommunication
What is a limitation of research on cultural variations in attachment? (confounding variables)
- Studies are not matched for methodology when compared in meta analyses
- Poverty, social class, and age of participants can confound results
- Environmental variables: room size and availability of interesting toys
-> more exploration in small rooms with attractive toys than large, bare rooms
-> less proximity seeking due to room size might make a child to be avoidant - doesn’t tell us about cross-cultural patterns of attachment
What is a limitation of research on cultural variations in attachment? (imposed etic)
- imposed etic is when we assume an idea/technique that works in one cultural context will work in another
- Britain and US, lack of affection on reunion may indicate avoidant attachment
- Germany, behaviour would be interpreted as independence rather than insecurity
- Behaviours measured by the strange situation may not have the same meanings in different cultural contexts, comparing across cultures is meaningless
What is a further evaluation of research on cultural variations in attachment? (competing explanations)
- similar attachment types in different countries is explained by identifying attachments as innate and universal
- global media represents a particular view of how parents and babies are meant to behave
- may override traditional cultural differences in the way children are brought up
