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Cultural Variation In Attachment

Cross-cultural Similarities

Ainsworth's Uganda Study (1967), she observed various universals in attachment behaviors.

Infants in Uganda like in the UK and USA used their mother as a secure base for exploration and mothers of securely attached infants showed greater sensitivity towards their infants than those who were insecurely attached.

Tronick et al (1992) , wanted to see how attachment varies with different cultures. So they looked at an African Tribe who lived in extended family groups. The infants were looked after and even breastfed by different women but at night the infant would sleep with the mother.

The infant at 6 months still have 1 primary attachment despite their interactions with the different women.

Fox (1977) studied infants raise in Israeli kibbutz who spent must of their time being cared for in a communal children's home by a nurse. They used the Strange Situation to test attachment with the nurses or mother. The infant was equally attached to the nurses but the primary caregiver was still the mother. This shows that the mother was till the primary caregiver despite the other caregivers.

Cross-cultural Differences

Grossman & Grossman (1991), they found that German infants tended to to be classified as insecurely attached rather than securely attached. This is due the German's childrearing practices. Germans cultures tend to encourage independence so infant does not engage in proximity-seeking behaviors in the Strange Situation.