Cultural variations in attachment Flashcards
What are cultural variations?
Differences in norms and values that exist between people in different groups.
What were IJzendoorn and Kroonenbergs research aims?
Look at proportions of secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure resistant attachments across a range of different countires to asses cultural variation
Differences within the same countries to get an idea of variations within a culture
What was IJzendoorn and Kroonenbergs procedure?
32 studies where strange situation used
8 countries
15 in US
Results for 1990 children
Meta analysed
(Combined and analysed together)
What were IJzendoorn and Kroonenbergs findings?
Secure attachment most common
75% Britain 50% China
Individualist cultures - high levels of insecure avoidant
Collectivist counties - high levels insecure resistant
So there are cultural differences in attachment type
What did Simonelli et al find about italy?
76 babies
12 months old
Strange situation
50% secure
36% insecure
Lower rate of secure and high rate of insecure avoidant found in may studies
This is because increasing number of mothers of very young children work long hours and use professional child care
Suggesting patterns of attachment types are not static but vary in line with cultural change
What are conclusions of research around cultural variations in attachment?
Secure attachment - norm in wide range of cultures
Bowlbys idea that attachment is innate and universal is supported
Research shows cultural practices have an influence on attachment type
What is an evaluation of cultural variations in attachment?
Indigenous researchers
Those from the same cultural background as participants
Many potential problems in cross cultural research can be avoided
Like researchers misunderstandings of the language used by participants or having difficulty communicating instructions to them.
Difficulties can also include bias because of one nations stereotypes of another
Meaning there is an excellent chance that researchers and participants communicated successfully
Enhancing the validity of the data collected
What is an evaluation of cultural variations in attachment?
Counterpoint to indigenous researchers
Not true of all cross cultural attachment research
Morelli and Tronick
Outsiders from America when studied child rearing and patters of attachment Zaire
Data might have been affected by difficulties in gathering data from participants outside their own culture
Meaning the data from some countries may have been affected by bias and difficulty in cross cultural communication
What is an evaluation of cultural variations in attachment?
Confounding variables
Studies conducted in different countries are not usually matched for methodology when they are compared in reviews or meta analyses
Sample characteristics such as poverty, social class can counfound results and age
Environmental variables
Meaning looking at attachment behaviour in different non matched studies conducted in different countries may not tell us anything about cross cultural patterns of attachment
What is an evaluation of cultural variations in attachment?
Imposed etic
Imposed etic - we assume an idea or technique hat works in one cultural context will work with another
Use of babies response to reunion with caregiver
Britain and US - lack of affection on reunion may indicate an avoidant attachment
Germany - independence rather than insecurity
Meaning behaviours measured nay bot have the same meanings in different cultural contexts and comparing them across cultures is meaningless
