Cultural Variations

• Procedure - Van Ijzendroon and Kroonenberg


  1. Carried out

  2. Meta-analysis

  3. 32 studies (1990 children)

  4. From 8 different countries where S.S. had been done

  5. Investigate proportions of attachment type
• Secure attachment type is the most common in most attachment studies
• Secure attachment proportions (van Ijzendroon) 


  • 50% in China
  • 75% in Britain
• Insecure-avoidant attachment proportions (Van Ijzendroon) 


  • 25% in China
  • 22% in Britain
• Insecure-resistant attachment proportions


  • 25% in China
  • 3% in Britain
• Procedure - Simonella et al 


  1. Assessed 12 month old in Italy using S.S.

  2. To see if proportions were reliable (compare findings with previous studies)
• Jin et al


  Used the strange situation to asses 87 6 month old children in Korea and compare the proportions of attachment types to other studies
• Jin et al 


  Most were insecure and overall followed the same patterns in Japan. They have similar cultures, so it makes sense that the proportions would be similar
• Conclusions (Overall) 


  Cultural practices have an influence on attachment types due to child rearing practices

  All counties have attachment types which supports Bowlby‘s theory that behavior is innate and universal
• Large Samples 


  (Van Ijzendroon). This increases internal validity, by reducing the impact of anomalies within the data set (results and findings). This makes the studies findings/ conclusions more representative of the target population
• Sample are unrepresentative of cultures 


  The comparison is made between countries, not cultures in all 3 studies,.

  There can be different cultures within one country and therefore could not be representative for all cultures

  eg. Might be an over representation of Rural Japan (might be more insecure) than City Japan (might be more secure).

  Do stratified sampling or specify which culture

  This leads to lower internal validity- not measuring what they intended to measure
• Lacks Validity - Kegan 


  Strange Situation measures temperment and not attachment. Temperment and anxiety tells us little about attachment varies between cultures
• Nature vs Nurture 


  We can’t be sure what factors influences attachment.

  Nature - Bowlby suggest that attachment is innate and universal

  Nurture - Van Ijzendroon suggest that attachment depends on how it’s projected in the media

  We can’t be sure that variation is due to the environment or biological.
• Biased methodology - Imposed ethic


  Strange Situation was developed in America , and based off of a British theory ( Bowlby)

  Imposed ethics- Apply one theory for one culture to another. This leads to invalid findings and conclusions.

  eg. Ainsworth said that lack of separation anxiety and little reunion behavior = insecure attachment

  however in Germany behavior like this is seen as independence and not a sign of insecurity