CULTURAL VARIATIONS IN ATTACHMENT

Question 1

What is meant by culture?

Answer 1

• beliefs and customs that a group of people share

- not a group of people

Question 2

Who conducted a study on cultural variations in attachment and when?

Answer 2

• van ljzendoorn and kronenburg

- 1988

Question 3

What was van ljzendoorn and kroonenburgs (1988) aim?

Answer 3

• investigate cultural variation attachment types
• used meta analysis
• studies that had used the strange situation procedure in various cultures

Question 4

What was van ljzendoorn and kroonenburgs (1988) procedure?

Answer 4

• meta analysis of 32 studies from 8 different countries that used strange situation procedure
• included western cultures and non-western cultures

Question 5

What were van ljzendoorn and kroonenburgs (1988) key findings?

Answer 5

• secure attachment was found to be the most common in all examined cultures
• Japan and Israel (collectivist) showed higher levels of insecure resistant attachment
• Germany (individualistic) showed higher levels of insecure avoidant attachment

Question 6

Who conducted a second cultural variation study that supports Ainsworth and which culture did he focus on?

Answer 6

• tronick et al (1992)
• efe tribe from zaire
• who live in extended family groups

Question 7

What did tronick et al (1992) find?

Answer 7

• infants cared of and looked after by different women within social group
• but sleep with their own mothers
• child rearing practice differ from western culture but infants preferenced primary caregiver at 6 months
• supports secure attachment is most common globally

Question 8

What is a criticism of van ljzendoorn and kroonenburgs (1988) study?

Answer 8

• may be comparing countries and not cultures
• each country may have different subcultures each with unique child raising methods
• researchers noted difference within countries was greater than between countries
• collected data on subcultures of countries instead of the whole nation

Question 9

What is a population validity criticism for van ljzendoorn and kroonenburgs (1988) study?

Answer 9

• used bias sample of 27/32 meta analysis studies in individualistic cultures
• results are biased towards individualistic norms
• cannot generalise to collectivist cultures
• lowers population validity

Question 10

How does van ljzendoorn and kroonenburgs study demonstrate cultural bias in Ainsworths strange situation?

Answer 10

• reporting differences in the distribution of attachment types in different cultures
• some countries like Germany are incorrectly categorised as being insecure avoidant
• meta analysis should be treated with caution as methodology of studies sufferer from cultural bias

Question 11

Why may Germany be incorrectly categorised?

Answer 11

• highest rate of insecure avoidant attachment
• due to different child raising techniques not an insecure population
• desire to keep interpersonal distance between infant and caregiver
• parents would discourage proximity-seeking behaviours in strange situation
• bias the attachment research in germany and incorrectly categorise them