cultural variation in attachment

Question 1

who conducted a study of the attachment types across a change of countries to asses cultural variations

Answer 1

Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

Question 2

what was Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) procedure

Answer 2

• located 32 studies of attachment
• conducted in 8 countries with 1990 children
• data meta analyzed

Question 3

what was the findings of Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) research

Answer 3

• wide variation between the proportions of attachment types in different studies
• secure attachment was the most common
• in individualistic cultures rates of insecure resistance were similar to ainsworth (under 14%) but not true for collectivist d=samples from china Japan and Israel (above 25%)
• variations between results within the same countries were 150 % greater than between counties

Question 4

Italian study

Answer 4

• Simonelli et al 2014
• 76 babies aged 12 months
• 50% secure and 36% insecure avoidant
• lower secure attachment and higher insecure avoidant
• increasing number of mothers working and using professional childcare
• suggest that patterns of attachy types vary in line with cultural change

Question 5

A Korean Study

Answer 5

• jin et al (2012)
• 87 babies
• proportions of insecure and secure similar to those in most countries
• more classed as resistant and only 1 avoidant
• distribution similar to japan
• similar child rearing styles

Question 6

conclusions

Answer 6

• secure attachment is the norm in a wide range of cultures
• supports bowlby’s idea that attachment so is innate and universal
• research also shows that cultural practices have an influence on attachment type

Question 7

Strength of research

Answer 7

1. Indigenous Researchers
   - most of the studies were conducted by indigenous psychologists
   - this means that many of the problems in cross cultural research can be avoided and lack of cultural bias

Question 8

limitations of research

Answer 8

1. confounding variables
   - studies conducted in diddert n countries are not matched from methodology when compared in meta analysis
   - poverty and social class and age of participants may confound results
   - environmental variables might difference between studies like six ei of rooms and types of toys available
2. imposed etic
   - trying to impose a test designed for one cultural contest to enter
   - in britain and usa lack of affection on reunion may indicate avoidant attachment but in germany this would be interpreted as independence