Cultural variations of attachment

• who conducted the key study for cultural variations of attachment?

  Van Ijzendoorn
• the study into cultural variations of attachment looked at the proportions of secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachments across a range of countries.
• Study of Cultural variations in attachment: procedure

  the researcher located 32 studies of attachment where the strange situation had been used to investigate the promotions of infants with different attachment types

  • 32 studies were conducted in 8 countries (1990 children)
  • the data from these studies were meta-analysed
• what were the findings from studying Cultural variations of attachment?

  In all studies, secure attachment was the most common

  • 75% in Britain - 50% in China

  Insecure-resistant attachment was the least common

  • 3% in Britain - 30% in Israel

  insecure-avoidant attachment was most commonly in Germany and least in Japan
• who conducted the Italian study?

  Simonella et al
• What were the Italian studies aims?

  to study whether the proportions of babies of different attachment types still match those found in previous studies
• What was the Italian study's method?

  researchers assessed 76 12-month-olds using the strange situation.
• What were the Italian study findings?

  50% were secure

  36% were insecure-avoidant

  • This is a lower rate of secure attachment that has been found in many studies
• What do the findings from the Italian study suggest?

  because of the increasing numbers of mothers of very young children working longer hours resulting in professional childcare

  • suggesting that cultural changes can make a dramatic difference in attachment
• Who conducted the Korean study into attachment?

  Jin et al
• What was the aim of the Koren study into attachment?

  compare the proportion of attachment types in Korea to other studies.
• what was the method of the Korean study into attachment?

  The strange situation was used to asses 87 children
• What were the findings of the Korean study into attachment?

  More of the children who were classified as insecurely attached were resistant and only one child was avoidant (similar to Japan)
• secure attachment is the norm in most cultures - supporting Bowlby's view that attachment is innate - but culture practices have a huge rate on attachment type
• Large Sample

  the overall sample size is a strength because large samples increase internal validity by reducing the impact of anomalous results cause by bad methodology or very unusual participants
• The method of assessment is biased

  The strange situation was designed by an American researcher based on British theory.

  • trying to apply a theory or technique designed for one culture to another culture is imposed etic
  • EXAMPLE: in Germany separation anxiety might be seen as independence than avoidance and hence not a sign of insecurity within the culture
• The strange situation lacks validity

  the strange situation might not be measuring attachment at all.

  • psychologists suggest that attachment type is more related to temperament than the relationship with the primary attachment figure.
  • therefore the SS might be measuring anxiety not attachment