Investigated whether attachment styles are universal or culturally specific
Meta-analysis
32 studies from 8 different countries
Examined results of the Strange Situation
Attachment styles found
Secure (70% of children, highest in GB, lowest in China)
Insecure resistant (highest in Japan and Israel)
Insecure avoidant (highest in China, above 25%)
Simonelli study
Found lower rates of secure attachment and higher insecure avoidant in Italian children, attributed to long working hours of mothers and children being left in daycare
Advantages of using indigenous researchers
Aids communication between researchers and participants
Helps prevent misunderstandings
Successful communication increases validity
Confounding variables occur in cross-cultural studies, such as differences in sample characteristics, biased samples, and environmental variables
Using the Strange Situation in a different cultural context from the one for which it was designed may be meaningless, as it reflects the norms and values of American culture
For example, lack of reunion in the Strange Situation represents insecure attachment in the US, but in Germany it would be a sign of independence
Therefore, it is meaningless to compare attachment behaviours across countries using the Strange Situation
