Cultural variations

• Peels - Cultural variation:

  1. Weakness - Biased sample - Most of the studies were carried out in the US and only 3/32 of the studies represented China and Japan which isn't an accurate representation of their populations

  • limits the generalisability
• Peels - Cultural variation:

  2) Weakness - compared countries not cultures - therefore results aren't to the types of culture.

  - results aren't valid as the methodology isn't accurate
• Peels - Cultural variation:

  3) Strength - most of the studies were completed by indigenous psychologists - Research by a German team (Grossman et al) and Takahashi who is Japanese - avoids the issues of cross cultural research (language barriers)

  • enhancing validity of the data collected
• Peels - Cultural variation:

  4) Strength - Large sample - 2000 babies - increases internal validity and reduces anomalous results
• Remembering the Peels - Cultural variations

  1. Biases sample
  2. Compared countries not culture
  3. Conducted by indigenous psychologists
  4. Large sample
• An individualistic culture is one which emphasises personal independence and achievement
• A collectivist culture is one which emphasises family and work goals
• Van IJzendoorn & Kroonenberg is a Meta Analysis
• Aim of Van IJzendoorn & Kroonenberg(1988):

  • To investigate whether previously found differences in attachment patterns in different countries were real or due to research error
  • To investigate intracultural differences
• Procedure of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  • 32 studies in 8 countries - 2000 babies studied
  • Strange situation, Mother-infant interactions and a sample of more than 35 children
• Results of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  Secure Attachment:

  • Highest = GB = 75%
  • Lowest = China = 50%
• Results of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  Insecure-Avoidant attachment:

  • Highest = Germany = 35%
  • Lowest = Japan = 5%
• Results of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  Insecure - Resistant:

  • Highest = Israel = 29%
  • Lowest = GB = 3%
• Conclusions of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  1. Demonstrates that its a oversimplification to assume all children brought up in the same culture are all brought up the same way
• Conclusions of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  2. Secure attachment is the most common which suggests that it is the best for healthy social and emotional development.

  Cross cultural similarities may be explained by the influence of the media
• Conclusions of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  3. Cross cultural similarities suggest that attachment is an innate and biological process
• Conclusions of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  4. Significant variation on Insecure-Attachment demonstrates that universality is limited - variation is linked to child-rearing practices
• Conclusions of Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988):

  5. Insecure-Avoidant attachment is the next most common (exc Japan)