Lesson 4: Cross Cultural Variations in Attachment

Question 1

How did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg conduct their study?

Answer 1

Meta-Analysis of 32 studies into attachment across different cultures. Strange situation. Infants below 24 months and their mothers.

Question 2

Where were these studies conducted?

Answer 2

Individualistic cultures (USA, UK and Germany), and collectivist cultures (Japan, China, Israel)

Question 3

Cross Cultural Variations Findings

Answer 3

Secure attachment was most common throughout the 8 countries. Second most common was insecure-avoidant apart from in Japan and Israel. The similarities between cultures suggest that caregiver and infant interactions have universal characteristics and may only be partly instinctive. Variations within cultures indicate that sub-cultural differences, such as social class, play an important role in an infants attachment style.

Question 4

Where was the lowest percentage of secure attachments?

Answer 4

China

Question 5

Where were the highest percentage of secure attachments?

Answer 5

UK

Question 6

Where were the highest percentage of insecure-avoidant attachments?

Answer 6

West Germany.

Question 7

Positives of Cross Cultural Variations

Answer 7

A Meta-Analysis is a very large sample, increasing validity

Question 8

Negatives of Cross Cultural Variations

Answer 8

1. US methodology, may not be valid in other areas
2. Israel infants lived in closed community and did not come into stranger contact
3. Wasn’t comparing cultures but countries (Tokyo had similar results to US, compared to rural japan)
4. Looked at moths but not fathers. Children’s behaviour changed depending on the parent they are with.