van Izjendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988)

Question 1

What is the aim?

Answer 1

To investigate any pattern in attachment types across 8 cultures and to investigate similarities and differences in the ratio of attachment types in different countries

Question 2

What type of study was it?

Answer 2

A meta-analysis - combining & reanalysing multiple individual studies of a specific topic

Question 3

What are 2 advantages of a meta-analysis?

Answer 3

• Overall trends are easier to be identified when combined
• Reviewing the results from a group of studies rather than from just one can increase the validity of the conclusions drawn, because they are based on a wider sample of participants.

Question 4

What are 2 limitations of a meta analysis?

Answer 4

• Research designs in the different studies sampled may vary substantially, meaning that the studies are not truly comparable

Question 5

What method were the studies used based on?

Answer 5

Ainsworth’s strange situation

Question 6

What were the results cross-culturally?

Answer 6

• Type A is higher in individualistic cultures, than collectivist (excluding China) - individualistic promote independence
• Type B is the most common attachment type in all cultures
• Type C is higher in collectivist cultures than individualistic cultures

Question 7

What were the results within culture?

Answer 7

• Germany 1 more similar to USA 1 than other German sample
• There was 1.5x greater variation within a culture than between a culture

Question 8

What conclusions were made?

Answer 8

• Type B is a universal characteristic, and all children have the instinct to form this strong attachment
• Variations in Type A and C are due to cultural factors (nurture)
• Mass media spread ideas of parenting which caused universal consistency of attachment

Question 9

What are 2 strengths of this study?

Answer 9

• High reliability as standardised methodology of the strange situation means comparisons can be made across all cultures
• No ethical issues as it uses secondary data so there was no engagement with participants and ppts had previously given permission

Question 10

What are 2 limitations of this study?

Answer 10

• 27/32 studies were in individualistic cultures so doesn’t reflect Eastern countries and can’t be generalised to them
• Publication bias with meta-analysis as studies that didn’t find what they intended to find led to exclusion of null results