Outline and evaluate research into
cultural variations of attachment. [16
marks]
Mary Ainsworth (1969) proposed the Strange Situation,
which aimed for the ability to observe key attachment
behaviours as a means to assess the quality of a caregiver-
infant attachment. This controlled observation study was
designed for the measurement of security in attachment
with the involvement of 100 middle class Americans and
their infants – taking place in a room with controlled
conditions with a two way mirror through which the
psychologists were able to observe the infants’ behaviour.
Firstly, Ijsendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988) conducted a key
study in order to look at the proportions of secure, insecure-
avoidant, and insecure-resistant attachments across a
range of countries. Alternatively, they also looked at the
differences within the same countries, for the discovery of a
few inferences of variations within a culture. With the use of
32 different studies (conducted in 8 countries, of which 15
were in USA, as well as involving 1990 children in total) in
which the Strange Situation has been used, the resulting
data were subject to a meta-analysis, used in order to
investigate the proportions of infants with different
attachment types. The results of the meta-analysis were
combined and weighted in order to be analysed. Findings
have shown that there was a wide variation between the
proportions of attachment types in different studies: secure
attachment was the most common classification in all
countries (however, the proportion varied from 75% in
cultural variations of attachment. [16
marks]
Mary Ainsworth (1969) proposed the Strange Situation,
which aimed for the ability to observe key attachment
behaviours as a means to assess the quality of a caregiver-
infant attachment. This controlled observation study was
designed for the measurement of security in attachment
with the involvement of 100 middle class Americans and
their infants – taking place in a room with controlled
conditions with a two way mirror through which the
psychologists were able to observe the infants’ behaviour.
Firstly, Ijsendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988) conducted a key
study in order to look at the proportions of secure, insecure-
avoidant, and insecure-resistant attachments across a
range of countries. Alternatively, they also looked at the
differences within the same countries, for the discovery of a
few inferences of variations within a culture. With the use of
32 different studies (conducted in 8 countries, of which 15
were in USA, as well as involving 1990 children in total) in
which the Strange Situation has been used, the resulting
data were subject to a meta-analysis, used in order to
investigate the proportions of infants with different
attachment types. The results of the meta-analysis were
combined and weighted in order to be analysed. Findings
have shown that there was a wide variation between the
proportions of attachment types in different studies: secure
attachment was the most common classification in all
countries (however, the proportion varied from 75% in
