Cultural variations Flashcards
what is an individualist culture?
one that values independence and the importance of the individual
what is a collectivist culture?
one that emphasises the importance of the group or collective
Cross-cultural similarities: describe Ainsworths Uganda study
She observed various universals in attachment behaviour. Infants in Uganda used their mothers as a secure base for exploration and mothers of securely attached children were more sensitive towards them.
Cross-cultural similarities: describe Tronick et al’s study
An african tribe, the Efe, from Zaire who lived in extended family groups. The infants were looked after by and even breastfed by different women but usually slept with their own mothers. The infants still showed one primary attachment-shows attachments are innate
Cross-cultural similarities: describe Fox’s study
Studied infants raised on Israeli Kibbutzin who spend most of their time being cared for in a communal children’s home by nurses. Attachment was tested by the SS with mother or nurse. Infants were equally attached to both except reunion behaviour where they showed greater attachment to their mothers
Cross-cultural differences: describe Grossman and Grossman’s study
German infants tended to be classified as insecurely attached rather than securely attached. This may be due to different childrearing practises. German culture involves keeping some interpersonal distance between parents and children. This is so infants don’t engage in proximity-seeking behaviours in the SS and thus “appear” to be insecurely attached
Cross-cultural differences: describe Takashi study?
Used the SS to study 60 middle class Japanese infants and their mothers. The infants showed no evidence of insecure-avoidant attachment. And high rates of insecure-resistant attachment. The infants were highly distressed on separation and 90% of the infants at this point and had to stop the study
Cross-cultural differences: describe Van Ljzendoorn and Kroonberg’s study
A meta-analysis od the findings from 32 studies of attachment behaviour. They found the differences to be small and that secure attachment is the most popular. They also found that variation within cultures was 1.5x greater than that between cultures.
WHAT DO U NEED TO REMEMBER
THESE CROSS CULTURAL SIMILARITIES SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT ATTACHMENT IS AN INNATE AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESS
EVALUATION: what is the sensitivity hypothesis?
Parents in Japan promote dependence rather than independence
EVALUATION: what is the secure base hypothesis?
in Western countries, we see secure attachment as infants using the adult as a secure base to plat. Whereas in Japan going off and exploring in a sign of not loving your family because you don’t want to stay with them. in Japan they encourage infants to want to stay with the parents so it’s not necessarily insecurely attached but Japan having different views on raising children
EVALUATION: what is the continuity hypothesis?
In Japan they don’t show emotion and for them is a sign of being securely attached. But in the ss they wouldn’t be seen as being securely attached
EVALUATION: what are the 3 issues Rothbaum et al came up with for research being applied cross culturally?
The sensitivity hypothesis
the continuity hypothesis
the secure base hypothesis
EVALUATION: nature vs culture
The research assumes that every person in each country is the same and therefore has metalogical flaws which lowers the validity
EVALUATION: how would you explain cultural similarities according to Van Ljzendoorn?
Cultures try to push ideas onto other cultures by media etc. So there should be some overlapping due to globalisation
