Cultural Variations in attachment

Question 1

What are cultural variations?

Answer 1

• The difference in norms and values existing between people in different groups.

Question 2

What research did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg conduct?

Answer 2

AIM: To investigate the proportions of Type A, B and C in a range of countries. They also looked at differences within the same countries.

PROCEDURE: Conducted a meta-analysis of the strange situation and located 32 studies. These studies covered 8 countries with 15 studies being in the US. It included a total of 1990 children.

Question 3

What were the findings of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s research?

Answer 3

• In all countries, secure attachment was the most common. However, the proportion varied from 75% in Britain to 50% in China.
• Insecure-resistant was overall the least common, although the proportions ranged from 3% in Britain to around 30% in Israel.
• Insecure avoidant was observed most commonly in Germany and least in Japan.

Question 4

What Italian research was conducted?

Answer 4

• Simonella et al (2014) - assessed 76 12-month-olds and found that 50% were secure and 30% were insecure-avoidant. This is a lower rate of secure attachment compared to other studies.

Question 5

What Korean research was conducted?

Answer 5

• Jin et al (2012) - Assessed 87 infants and found that most infants were secure, however, more classified as insecurely attached were resistant and only one infant was avoidant. Similar results in Japan.

Question 6

What conclusion was drawn?

Answer 6

• Secure attachment seems to be the norm in a wide range of cultures, supporting Bowlby’s idea that attachment is innate and universal and this type is the universal norm. However, the research also clearly shows that cultural practices influence attachment type.

Question 7

(AO3) What is a strength of cultural variations?

Answer 7

Large samples:

• Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) used 32 studies via a meta-analysis that comprised a total of nearly 200 children, which provided a wealth of information about attachment types across the world.

This is a strength because the large sample size increases internal validity by reducing the impact of anomalous results caused by bad methodology or very unusual participants.

Question 8

(AO3) What is a weakness of cultural variations?
(1)

Answer 8

Unrepresentative of culture:

The meta-analysis conducted claimed to study cultural variation whereas the comparisons were between countries, not cultures. Within any country, there are cultural differences in child-rearing practices.

• One sample may be over-representative of people living in poverty where stress may affect caregiving and patterns of attachment. Van Ijzendoorn and Sagi (2001) - found that distributions of attachment type in Tokyo (urban) were similar to Western studies, whereas a more rural sample had an overrepresentation of insecure resistant individuals.
• Comparisons between countries may have little meaning; the particular cultural characteristics of the sample need to be specified.

Question 9

(AO3) What is a weakness of cultural variations?
(2)

Answer 9

Imposed etic:

• Grossman and Grossman (1990) supported the idea that using Western ideologies and practices of behaviour might not apply to all countries and cultures.
• Ainsworth imposed the idea that mild stranger and separation anxiety demonstrates a good quality attachment between infant and caregiver. However, this is unfair to assume that this is the only type of good-quality attachment. It can be demonstrated in other ways.