Cross-Cultural Variations in Attachment

Question 1

Who carried out the study and what was it?

Answer 1

• Van Ijzerndoorn and Kroonenberg
• A meta-analysis of 32 studies into attachment to see if it occurs in the same way across all cultures

Question 2

What was the procedure?

Answer 2

• All studies had used the strange situation to measure attachment
• Measured relationship between mothers and their babies whom were under 24 months of age
• Studies were conducted in 8 countries
• Individualistic Cultures = USA, UK and Germany
• Collectivist Cultures = Japan, China and Israel

Question 3

What were the main findings?

Answer 3

• Secure attachments was the most common across all countries
• Second most common attachment was insecure-avoidant, except in Israel and Japan where avoidant was rare but resistant was common
• Overall variations within cultures were 1.5x greater than the variation between cultures

Question 4

What country had lowest and highest percentage of secure attachments?

Answer 4

• Highest % was in Great Britain
• Lowest % was in China

Question 5

Who had the highest percentage of insecure-avoidant attachments?

Answer 5

West Germany

Question 6

What does this show?

Answer 6

• Similarities between cultures suggest that caregiver and infant have universal characteristics therefore may be partly instinctive
• However variations show differences in child-rearing play an important role in attachment
• Variations within cultures indicate sub cultural differences, e.g social class, these factors may be more important than culture

Question 7

strengths of Cross-Cultural Variations?

Answer 7

• Validity
  The study is a meta-analysis with a large sample, therefore increasing validity

Question 8

weaknesses of Cross-Cultural Variations?

Answer 8

Methodology Issues
Israeli Infants
Not actually comparing cultures
Gender Bias

Question 9

Methodology Issues (-)

Answer 9

• Developed in the US
• Ainsworth assumed that willingness to explore means a secure attachment, this may not be the same across cultures
• This means methodology is culturally biased

Question 10

Israeli Infants

Answer 10

• Lived in a Kibbutz (closed community) and did not come to contact with strangers
• This is why they showed extreme distress with them and classed as resistant

Question 11

Not actually comparing cultures

Answer 11

• Comparison of the US and Japan is not good due to sub-cultures having different child-rearing practices
• Study of Tokyo found similar attachment styles to the US
• More rural areas of Japan found more insecure-resistant infants

Question 11

Not actually comparing cultures

Answer 11

• Comparison of the US and Japan is not good due to sub-cultures having different child-rearing practices
• Study of Tokyo found similar attachment styles to the US
• More rural areas of Japan found more insecure-resistant infants

Question 12

Gender Bias

Answer 12

• All studies looked to attachment with mother
• Main and Weston found infants act differently dependant on parent
• This shows they may act different w father and the strange situation is measuring an attachment style with one person