Cultural Variations in Attachment

• (AO1) Give the aim and method of van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988)


  Aim = To investigate cross - cultural variations in attachment

  
  

  Method = Conducted a meta analysis of 32 studies from 8 different countries that has used Ainsworth's strange situation. In total, the results of over 1,990 infants were included in the analysis (lots of researchers conducted it)
• (AO1) Give the results of van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988)

  Results:

  • Type A - High levels of insecure avoidant in Germany (an individualist culture).
  • Type B - Secure attachment is the most common type, in all cultures examined.
  • Type C - High levels of insecure resistant in Japan and Isreal (collectivist cultures)
• (AO1) Give the conclusion of Van Ijzendorn & Kroonenberg (1988)

  Since the global trend in the meta analysis seems to reflect secure attachment being the most common, it adds weight to the argument that secure attachment is the optimal attachment type for healthy development.
• (AO1) State a point about cultural similarities with Tronick et al (1992)

  The Efe tribe, located in Zaire Africa, live in extended family groups, infants are looked after and even breastfed by different women within the social group.

  
  

  However, infants tend to sleep with their own mothers at night.

  
  

  Although this differs greatly from the Western norm, the infants still showed a preference for a primary attachment figure at 6 months old = supporting van Ijzendoorn and Korrenenberg main findings, that secure attachments = most common globally.
• (AO1) State the point about cultural differences with Grossman & Grossman (1991)


  In German culture, child rearing practises favour independence from a young age, whereby infants do not seek interpersonal contact with their parents.

  
  

  As a result, infants from this country appear to be insecurely attached in the strange situation since they dont seek proximity to their mothers or joy upon reunion.
• (AO1) Explain the meaning of intra-cultural and inter-cultural

  Intra-cultural = in countries, there are many cultures

  Inter-cultural = between cultures outside the country
• (AO3) Give a limitation of cultural variations

  Point: May have been comparing countries not cultures

  Evidence: E.g. they compared Great Britain with Isreal in their meta-analysis. Within each country, there may be different subcultures, each having different ways of bringing up children. The researchers noted that variance within countries was far greater than between countries.

  Evaluate: They did collect data on subcultures within the countries they investigated rather than the whole nation.
• (AO3) Give a limitation of cultural variations

  Point: Biased sample

  Evidence: 27/32 of their studies in their meta-analysis were carried out in individualist cultures.

  Evaluate: Their results are biased towards individualistic culture norms and values so we cannot accurately generalise the results to collectivist cultures, lowering the population validity of the findings.
• (AO3) Give a limitation of cultural variations

  Point: There is an alternative explanation for universal attachment which does not consider the effect of culture.

  
  

  Evidence: According to Bowlby, attachment occured globally due to innate mechanisms which aid infant's survival. This biologically driven process occurs in the initial months after birth, not modified by the culture in which one is brought up.
• (AO3) Give a counter point to Bowlby challenging cultural variations, saying universal attachment is innate.

  V&K counter this, suggesting that some of the similarities seen cross-culturally could be due to media exposure such as TV or even adverts, possibly causing mothers to question/change their own ways of raising their children.