Psychology (Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg - Attachment)

Question 1

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg meta analysis (AIM)

Answer 1

To investigate the attachment types in different cultures, or the prevalence of certain attachment types in one culture compared to another.

Question 2

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg meta analysis (PROCEDURE)

Answer 2

It is a meta analysis and a cross culture analysis.

Uses certain selection criterions such as not taking studies that included children over 2 years old.

Also used the Chi squared statistical test in order to claculate the attachment type distributions and deviations of these cross-culturally.

Question 3

How many countries and studies were involved?

Answer 3

32 studies and 8 countries almost 2000 babies

America however had roughly half and included for China only 36 children

Question 4

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg meta analysis (FINDINGS)

Answer 4

China had nearly an equal amount of insecure avoidant and insecure resistant (ambivalent) attachment among children. Germany had the highest number of insecure avoidant. The secure attachment type was the most prevalent one, and the insecure avoidant the 2nd most prevalent one (with exceptions of Israel and Japan.)

Question 5

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg meta analysis (CONCLUSIONS)

Answer 5

Attachment is innate and universal. Secure attachment type is the most optimal type of attachment.

Question 6

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg meta analysis (STRENGTHS)

Answer 6

Large general sample sizes increases internal validity because it reduces the impact of any anomalous (run representative results that are caused from conducting an experiment in an unusual, faulty way or very unusual participants).Van Ijzendoorn and

Is reliable because it has used a standardized selection procedure, the same systematic procedure is used “SSP” which also has credibility as it has been tested around the whole world and is deemed as a reliable, consistent, effective way of determining a child’s attachment type.

It is scientific because it has used the SSP as a standardised method in their meta-analysis. SSP is a method of investigating attachment by observing the infant-mother relationship which means that it has scientific properties.

It is also scientific because van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg have used a meta-analysis study design to investigate the universality of attachment which is an evidence-based research method, meaning that other researchers have tested it before. They have also calculated the results using chi-squared to see if there were any deviations between countries in terms of attachment which furthermore makes it scientific.

Question 7

Kroonenberg meta analysis (WEAKNESSES)

Answer 7

Not ecologically valid due to using “SSP”.

Not representative of the different cultures because they have used a relatively small number of studies for several countries (as over half of the studies are with american samples)

It is ethnocentric because it uses the American ideals of what these attachment types are as a methodological standard. For example, in germany a type A attachment is seen as a good thing because it shows independence (insecure avoidant)

The data source search (by using the database) had a specific criterion to find studies for the meta-analysis and filtered out any studies that had a sample of children over 2 years old. The SSP is an observational method where researchers are looking at a child’s behaviour, which can be very subjective as many would differently interpret certain reactions of the baby. This makes it less objective meaning that it is also less scientific.

Question 8

Explain one way in which it could be improved.

Answer 8

Could be improved by making sure to use studies from different cultures with a bigger sample in order to be able to generalize it more, and also take samples from other parts of the world such as Africa or South America.