Cultural Variations: Van Ijzendoorn

Question 1

What was van ijzendoorns and kroonenbergs study aim

Answer 1

Conducted a study to look at proportions or secure, insecure avoidant and insecure resistant attachments across a range of countries, also looking at the differences within the same countries to see an idea of variations within a culture

Question 2

What was the procedure of van ijzendoorns study

Answer 2

32 studies of attachment conducted in 8 countries where the strange situation was used
15 studies took place in the USA
32 studies yielded results for 1990 children
The data was meta analysed with the results being combined

Question 3

In which type of countries were insecure avoidant (type a) attachments commonly found and why

Answer 3

More common in western counties due to their individualist cultures

Question 4

In which type of countries were secure attachments (type b) attachments commonly found

Answer 4

Most common across all countries

Question 5

In which type of countries were insecure resistant (type c) attachments commonly found

Answer 5

It was overall the least common but most common in eastern countries

Question 6

What type of attachment was found in Germany, what was the % and why

Answer 6

Insecure avoidant
35%
Self reliance, raise children not to be clingy and to be independent, obey commands

Question 7

What type of attachment was found in japan and Isreal , what was the % and why

Answer 7

Japan and Isreal insecure resistant
27% and 29%
Raised in kibbutz with a nurse in a small group, may have never been left alone with a stranger

Question 8

What type of attachment was found in china, what was the % and why

Answer 8

Lowest number of secure attachments
50%
Collectivist culture

Question 9

What were the variation patterns within and between countries

Answer 9

There was 1.5 times more variation within countries (intra cultural) then there was between cultures (inter cultural)

Question 10

What was the conclusion

Answer 10

It was found that secure attachment was the most common type of attachment in all cultures
Due to innate and universal characteristics that underpin infant and caregiver interactions

Question 11

Evaluation: large sample size

Answer 11

The study used nearly 2000 children in total, the broad sample makes the findings more reliable and therefore generalisable to other countries. The large sample also enhances the internal validity of the study, making the conclusion also highly valid; reducing the impact of anomalies and increasing the power of the statistical analysis.

Question 12

Evaluation: lacks ecological validity

Answer 12

Due to the use of the strange situation, the procedure involves separating the child from its mother, which is different to what the child experiences everyday, especially in collectivist cultures like japan where separation is unlikely, leaning to strange reactions from children that doesn’t reflect their typical behaviour, raising questions about the identified attachment type that truly affects the child’s behaviour

Question 13

Evaluation: ethics/biased

Answer 13

The problem with this cross cultural research are the conclusions and judgments which are made about that society based on the given data. The fact that western psychologists have argued that secure attachment is the best has led them to judge Japanese society as lacking in respect to parenting. This is ethically unacceptable, taking a western standard and imposing it onto another culture is called imposed etic