Cultural variations

• What research is there into cultural variations in attachment?

  • van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988): conducted a meta-analysis of 32 replications of the Strange Situation conducted in 8 countries
  • Secure attachment was the most common classification on all countries, but varied from 75% in Britain to 50% in China
  • Individualist cultures saw similar rates of resistant types of under 14% yet collectivist cultures like China, Japan & Israel saw much higher rates of above 25%
• What explains cross-cultural differences of attachment in Israel?

  • Israeli children are reared in a Kibbutz and are used to maternal separation, meaning they show less separation anxiety
  • However they are not used to being around strangers which is why they show high stranger anxiety, explaining the high percentage of resistant behaviour in Israel
  • Fox (1977) used the Strange Situation using the babies' mothers or Kibbutz nurse - children were similarly attached to both but were more pleased to see their mother during reunion behaviour
• What explains cross-cultural differences of attachment in Germany?

  • German study highlights a high percentage of avoidant behaviour which is typical of independent behaviour
  • Grossmann et al (1985) pointed out that German parents seek 'independent, non-clingy infants, who do not make demands on parents, but obey their commands'
  • Explains avoidant behaviour as an outcome of a particular style of parenting instead of poor quality attachment
• What explains cross-cultural differences in Japan?

  • Japanese children are very rarely left alone by their mothers due to the unusual nature of maternal separation in Japan as mothers are less likely to return to work after birth
  • The distress babies show when left alone with the stranger is more due to shock than insecure attachment, explaining high rates of resistant attachment types
• What is one strength of research into cultural variations in attachment?

  • Indigenous researchers: those from the same cultural background of the participants, such as Takahashi (1986) who is Japanese like their sample, means that many potential problems in cross-cultural research are avoided
  • These can include misunderstanding of language or difficulty communicating instructions, and even bias due to racial stereotypes
  • High chance of successful communication enhances the validity of data collected
• What is one limitation of research into cultural variations of attachment?

  • Potential culture bias: Morelli and Tronick (1991) were outsiders from America when they studies child-rearing and patterns of attachment in the Efe of Zaire
  • Their data could have potentially been contaminated by difficulties in communication or unconscious researcher biases/expectationd
  • Means some data from some countries may have been affected by cross-cultural communication issues, weakening overall validity
• What is another limitation of research into cultural variations of attachment?

  • Confounding variables: studies conducted in different countries are not usually matched for methodology, meaning sample characteristics like poverty, social class, or age can confound the results
  • There may also be environmental variables such as the size of the room or availability of interesting toys that may have influenced the babies' behaviour in some way
  • Looking at attachment behaviour in non-matched studies may not tell us anything meaningful about cross-cultural patterns due to confounding variables that weaken the internal validity of the studies
• What is another limitation of research into cultural variations of attachment?

  • Imposed etic is assuming an idea or technique that works in one cultural context will work another
  • For example in Britain and the US, lack of affection during reunion may indicate avoidant attachment however in Germany this is more likely to be interpreted as independence rather than insecurity
  • This means behaviours measured by the Strange Situation may not have the same meanings in different cultural contexts, so comparing them across cultures is meaningless