Culture variations

• What study did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg conduct?

  They conducted a meta-analysis of 32 other pieces of research that all used the Strange Situation test. They want to find out whether there were intra or inter differences in cultures/
• What does Intra, Inter and Meta-analysis mean?


  • Intra: Within one culture
  • Inter: Between different cultures
  • Meta-analysis: Findings from multiple pieces of already existing research are assessed to identify trends and patterns
• All countries were predominantly type B (securely attached). However, some countries had higher levels of type A/type C than other, what were they?

  • Germany – higher levels of type A (insecure-avoidant): 35%.
  • Japan – higher levels of type C (insecure-resistant): 27%.
  • Israel – higher levels of type C (insecure-resistant): 29%.
• More information about Germany

  • They value distance between the infant and their mother
  • Proximity and seeking behaviour are often discouraged
• More information about Japan

  • Not often separated from their mothers (if they are, infants are extremely distressed).
  • Spend almost 100% of their time with their mother for the first 2 years of their lives.
• More information about Israel

  • Children live in a Kibbutz – shared community
  • Parents would visit infants for 3 hours per day after work
  • High STA but low SEA
• What is Individualist culture?

  Emphasises the importance of independence and achievement (Germany, USA, UK)
• What is Collectivist culture?

  Emphasises the importance of family and shared goals above independent needs and goods (Israel, China, Japan)
• What is a strength of Van Ijzendoorn's research?

  Meta-analysis study

  • He utilised a meta-analysis of 32 studies - very large sample increases the validity of the findings
• What is the counter argument of 'meta-analysis study' of Van Ijzendoorn's research?

  • 18/32 of the meta-analysis studies were from US
  • No studies represented attachment in Africa, South America and socialist Eastern European countries = lacks generalisability
• What is a limitation of Van Ijzendoorn's research?


  Strange situation uses imposed etic

  • The results of the strange situation were from 108 American middle-class infants – it isn’t fair to make judgements about non-American countries = lacks generalisability
• What is a limitation of Van Ijzendoorn's research?


  Impact of confounding variables

  • Studies conducted in different countries may not be matched for sample characteristics (different ages/social classes)
  • Environmental variables may also differ (different size rooms)
  • Therefore, research might tell us little about cultural differences