Studies into cross cultural differences in attachment

Studies into cross cultural differences in attachment

1. van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

   • 32 studies meta analysed - 15 in the USA - 1990 children
   • Secure attachment most common - 90% in Britain, 50% in China
   • Insecure-resistant least common - 30% Israel, 3% Britain
   • Insecure-avoidant - most common in Germany, lead common in Japan
   • 150% more variation within country compared to between

2. Simonella et al. (2014) - Italian study

   • Attachment proportions have changed over time, possibly due to mothers working more so child care is used more frequently.

3. Jin et al. (2012) - Korean study

   • Korean proportions are similar to Japan's, possibly due to similar child rearing practices.

4. Large sample - nearly 2000 children were analysed. This greatly reduces the impact of any anomalous, increasing the internal validity.

5. Imposed etic - USA based test for attachment was imposed on other cultures, making it a bias method

6. There was a limited number of studies in some countries so it may be over generalised.

7. Possible ethical issues because the Strange Situation may cause the infant distress.

8. Validity may be questioned - children in day care may come across as insecure-avoidant because they are used to being separated.