Cultural Variations

van IJzendoorn & Kroonenberg

Evaluation

Procedure​:

• Conducted a meta-analysis of 32 studies across 8 countries.​
• The studies selected used the Strange Situation to assess attachment type between infant and mother.​
• 15 studies had been conducted in the US.​
• Overall results from 1,990 children were analysed.

Findings:

• Secure attachment was the most common attachment type in every country.
• Insecure-avoidant was the next most common except in Israel and Japan.
• The variation within countries was 150% greater than variation across countries. E.g. one study in the US found only 46% securely attached compared to another sample as high as 90%​

Unrepresentative of Culture

Imposed Etic

Large Samples

• By combining results of attachment studies carried out in different countries, you end up with a very large sample.
• This increasing internal validity by reducing the impact of anomalous results caused by bad methodology or very unusual participants.

• SS was designed by an American researcher based on a British theory.
• Trying to apply this to another culture is known as imposed etic.
• For example, in SS a lack of separation anxiety and pleasure on reunion may indicate an insecure attachment.
• But in Germany this is seen as independence.

• Meta-analysis by van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg claimed to study cultural variation, whereas the comparisons were really between countries.
• Within any country, there are many different cultures with different child-rearing practices.
• Sagi found distributions of attachment type in an urban setting were similar to Western studies, but a rural sample had more IR individuals.
• Means that comparisons between countries may have little meaning and the particular cultural characteristics of the sample need to be specified.

Alternative Explanation for Cultural Similarity

Lacks Validity

• The SS lacks validity.
• Kagan suggested attachment type is more related to temperament than the relationship with the PAF.
• The SS is not measuring attachment, just anxiety.

• Bowlby's explanation for cultural similarities is that they are due to attachment being innate and universal.
• V & K proposed an alternative explanation, suggesting that small cross-cultural differences reflect the effects of the mass media which advocate similar notions of parenting.

Italian Study

Simonella et al. (2014)​:

• Investigated if the proportion of current attachment types match findings of previous research. ​
• Assessed 76 one year olds using the SS.​
• 50% - secure and 36% - IA.​
• Lower rate of secure type compared to previous findings. This could be due to mothers of young children having to work increasingly long hours and use childcare.​
• This suggests cultural changes can have a dramatic impact on patterns of secure and insecure attachment.

Korean Study

Jin et al. (2012)​:

• Compared proportions of attachment types in Korea to other studies.​
• Assessed 87 children using the SS.​
• Overall proportions of secure and insecure babies were similar to most countries.
• Those classed as insecurely attached were all resistant except for one avoidant child. ​
• This is similar to the attachment type found in Japan.​
• This similarity can be explained in terms of child rearing style as Japan and Korea have similar child-rearing practices.​

Cultural Variations