cultural variations

• Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg carried out a meta-analysis of 32 studies, from 8 different countries and bars on the observation of over 2000 children
• Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg findings

  • variations within the same country were 1.5 times greater than those between countries
  • secure attachment is the most common ( with 75% in the UK)
  • there was 1 study in China
  • rates of insecure resistant in collectivist cultures are higher ( 27% in Japan and 29% Israel)
  • rates of insecure avoidant were highest in Germany with 35%
• Child rearing practices in Germany

  • the researcher: Grossmann
  • he says that German parents seek independent, non-clingy infants but should still obey their commands
• Child rearing practices in Japan

  • The Japanese have the concept of amae which means emotional dependence
  • infants show clingy behaviour
  • they become very distressed when separated from mum
• Child rearing practices in Israel

  • Fox tested children in strange situation using either their mother or the kibbutz nurse
  • the children were similarly attached to both but were more pleased to see mother
• Evaluations of cultural variations

  🙂 large sample

  🙂 ethically sound

  ☹️ imposed etic

  ☹️ differences within cultures (sub-cultures)