cultural variations in attachment

Question 1

What is the aim of the study on cultural variations of attachment

Answer 1

• wanted to see if there was inter-cultural differences in attachment (differences between cultures)
• wanted to see if there was intra-cultural differences in attachment (differences within the same culture)

Question 2

What is the procedure of the study on cultural variations of attachment

Answer 2

• did a meta-analysis of the findings of 32 studies on attachment (using the strange situation)
• looked at 8 different countries

Question 3

What are the findings of the study on cultural differences of attachment?

Answer 3

• inter-cultural differences were small (differences between different cultures)
• there was more intra-cultural differences (differences within cultures)
• secure attachment was the most common classification across ALL countries = secure attachment is the healthiest attachment
• supports the idea that attachment is innate because all infants of all cultures were born with similar attachments despite different learnt experiences

Question 4

Were there any cultural differences?

Answer 4

• Grossmann and Grossmann

German infants were more insecurely attached than securely attached

• Takahashi

Japanese infants showed no avoidant attachment (they did not like to be left alone and responded with great distress)

Question 5

Criticisms of cultural variations in attachment

Answer 5

• mass media may influence parenting globally and so infants of all cultures are exposed to similar influences (usually a western culture) which suggests attachment is learned and opposes the innate theory
• compared countries not cultures e.g Japan with US, there may be various cultures and subcultures within these countries that were not acknowledged
• the entire theory of attachment has a western bias (cultural bias)