Outline and evaluate research
into cultural variations in
attachment. (16 marks)
van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) did a meta analysis of 32 trials from eight
different countries that used Ainsworth's Strange Situation. The results of over 1,990
newborns were included in the analysis. Their study yielded numerous major
conclusions regarding the distribution of attachment in various countries, with secure
attachment being the most common type of attachment in all cultures studied. Japan
and Israel (collectivist cultures) had higher levels of insecure-resistant attachment,
whereas Germany (individualistic culture) had higher levels of insecure-avoidant
attachment.
Tronick et al. (1992) investigated the Efe tribe of Zaire, who live in extended family
groups. Infants are cared for and breastfed by many women within the social group,
although they sleep with their mothers at night. Despite the fact that the childrearing
procedures differed from Western norms, the infants still preferred a primary attachment
figure at six months old, echoing the assumption that secure attachment is the most
frequent globally.
One criticism of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonerberg's findings is that they may have been
comparing countries rather than cultures. In their meta-analysis, they compared the
United Kingdom against Israel, for example. Within each country, there may be
numerous subcultures, each with their own distinct approach to child parenting.
Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that volatility within countries was significantly
greater than variance across countries. As a result, it stands to reason that they did, in
fact, collect data on subcultures within the countries they researched rather than the
entire nation. Furthermore, the sample employed in their inquiry was skewed, with 27/32
of the papers in their meta-analysis being in individualistic cultures. As a result, their
findings are biassed toward individualistic norms and values, and we cannot accurately
generalise the findings to collectivist societies, decreasing the population validity of the
findingsIn addition to this
Outline and evaluate research into cultural variations in attachment. (16 marks) 1
into cultural variations in
attachment. (16 marks)
van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) did a meta analysis of 32 trials from eight
different countries that used Ainsworth's Strange Situation. The results of over 1,990
newborns were included in the analysis. Their study yielded numerous major
conclusions regarding the distribution of attachment in various countries, with secure
attachment being the most common type of attachment in all cultures studied. Japan
and Israel (collectivist cultures) had higher levels of insecure-resistant attachment,
whereas Germany (individualistic culture) had higher levels of insecure-avoidant
attachment.
Tronick et al. (1992) investigated the Efe tribe of Zaire, who live in extended family
groups. Infants are cared for and breastfed by many women within the social group,
although they sleep with their mothers at night. Despite the fact that the childrearing
procedures differed from Western norms, the infants still preferred a primary attachment
figure at six months old, echoing the assumption that secure attachment is the most
frequent globally.
One criticism of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonerberg's findings is that they may have been
comparing countries rather than cultures. In their meta-analysis, they compared the
United Kingdom against Israel, for example. Within each country, there may be
numerous subcultures, each with their own distinct approach to child parenting.
Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that volatility within countries was significantly
greater than variance across countries. As a result, it stands to reason that they did, in
fact, collect data on subcultures within the countries they researched rather than the
entire nation. Furthermore, the sample employed in their inquiry was skewed, with 27/32
of the papers in their meta-analysis being in individualistic cultures. As a result, their
findings are biassed toward individualistic norms and values, and we cannot accurately
generalise the findings to collectivist societies, decreasing the population validity of the
findingsIn addition to this
Outline and evaluate research into cultural variations in attachment. (16 marks) 1
