Evaluation

• Indigenous psychologists

  One strength of the research is that many studies were conducted by indigenous psychologists. For example, van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg included research by a German team as well as Japanese researchers. This approach helps avoid potential problems in cross-cultural research, such as misunderstandings of language or difficulty in communicating instructions.
• It also reduces the risk of bias stemming from one nation’s stereotypes of another. By involving researchers familiar with the culture, there is a better chance of effective communication, which enhances the validity of the findings.
• Previous research to support

  A strength of this research is that the findings strongly correlate with Bowlby’s work. The fact that secure attachments were dominant across all cultures supports Bowlby’s claim that forming a secure attachment is adaptive and provides an evolutionary advantage. This consistency across cultures adds credibility to his theory, suggesting a biological basis for attachment.
• Confounding variables

  One limitation of cross-cultural research is that the findings from meta-analyses may be influenced by confounding variables. Studies conducted in different countries are often not matched for methodology, and sample characteristics such as poverty, social class, and urban versus rural areas can confound the results. This means that comparing attachment findings across cultures can be problematic, as environmental influences may affect the methodology, reducing the internal validity of the studies.
• Imposed etic

  A further limitation of cross-cultural research is the imposition of a test designed for one cultural context onto another. For example, a baby’s response to a reunion in the Strange Situation may indicate avoidant attachment in some cultures, whereas in Germany, this behaviour might be interpreted as independence rather than insecurity.
• This means the behaviours measured by the Strange Situation do not hold the same meaning across different cultural contexts. As a result, comparing attachment types across cultures may be meaningless and fail to provide accurate insights into cross-cultural patterns of attachment.