AO1

• What is the van IJzendoorn study on cultural variations in attachment?

  Looked at proportion of attachment types across countries and differences within countries (idea of variations within culture)
• What was the procedure for the van IJzendoorn study on cultural variations in attachment?

  • Researchers located 32 studies of attachment using Strange Situation in 8 countries (15 in US)
  • Results for 1990 children = meta-analysis
• What were the findings for the van IJzendoorn study on cultural variations in attachment?

  • Secure attachment most common in all countries (75% Britain/50% China)
  • Insecure-resistant least common (3% Britain/30% Israel)
  • Insecure-avoidant common in Germany/least common in Japan
  • Individualist cultures = insecure-resistant similar to Ainsworth og sample (under 14%)
  • Collectivist cultures = insecure-resistant above 25% & insecure-avoidant attachment less than Ainsworth og sample
  • Variations within countries 150% greater than between countries
• What is the Italian study of cultural variations in attachment (Simonelli)?

  • Experiment to see if proportions of babies of different attachment types still matches those found in previous studies
  • Assessed 76 babies (12 months old) using SS
  • 50% were secure & 36% insecure-avoidant = lower rate of secure studies & higher rate of insecure-avoidant attachment
  • Due to increasing numbers of mothers of young children work long hours and use professional childcare
  • Suggest that patterns of attachment are affected by cultural change.
• What is the Korean study of cultural variations in attachment (Kyoung Jin)?

  • Experiment to see if proportions of babies of different attachment types still matches those found in previous studies
  • Assessed 87 babies using SS
  • Similar results of secure and insecure babies compared to original SS
  • More of those classified as insecure were insecure-resistant
  • Only 1 baby was insecure-avoidant
  • Similar to the distribution of attachment types found in japan = Japan & Korea have similar child rearing styles
• What are the conclusions from the various cultural variations in attachment studies?

  • Secure attachment norm in wide range of cultures (support Bowlby's idea = attachment in innate/universal)
  • Culture influences attachment