Studies of cultural
variations in attachment
Complete one of the tables with the information below.
Ainsworth (1967) wanted to find out if there were cultural
differences in attachment between an infant and its mother, so
she travelled to Uganda in Africa. Ainsworth studied Ugandan
babies from 4 months of age to 2 years of age and observed them
every 2 weeks for a period of 2 years in their natural environment.
Ainsworth also interviewed the Ugandan mothers about the
relationships they had with their baby. The Ps were 26 mothers
and their infants.
Ainsworth found that most infants in Uganda were cared for by
several adults (not only the mother) and therefore formed multiple
attachments. The higher the mother’s sensitivity, the more secure
the attachment was.
She concluded that in other cultures, multiple attachments occur
and that the more sensitive the mother, the more securely infants
were attached.
However, the research in Uganda studied mother’s in their natural
environment. It was therefore not possible to control extraneous
variables and Ainsworth has been accused of observer bias in her
research.
Work in a group of 3 to exchange information and
complete the remaining two tables.
Attachment
The Beauchamp College
Studies of cultural
variations in attachment
Complete one of the tables with the information below.
Fox (1977) wanted to see if there were cultural differences in the
amount of attachment children made. Fox studied infants who
lived on an Israeli Kibbutz (a communal farm), which is run
according to the principle that work should be of equal value and
shared between all members of the group. Fox investigated
attachment type by using the Strange Situation.
Fox found that although the children spent the majority of their
time being cared for in a children’s home by a nurse, they were
attached to both their mother and the nurse. However, the
children showed a preference for the mother in reunion behaviour.
Fox concluded that although children can form multiple
attachments, the mother remains the primary attachment figure,
despite the shared care.
However, it may be difficult to compare Fox’s research with other
research on attachment, because this data was collected on a
subculture within Israel – within a rural community and only
representing a small sample of the population. Findings may be
different in an urban sample of the population.
Work in a group of 3 to exchange information and
complete the remaining two tables.
Attachment
The Beauchamp College
Studies of cultural
variations in attachment
Complete one of the tables with the information below.
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) were interested to see if
there were evidence of inter-cultural differences in attachment –
differences between countries.
They conducted a meta-analysis (a review) of over 32 studies
conducted in 8 countries, all of which had followed the Strange
Situation procedure.
The results showed that differences between countries were small;
secure attachment was the most common classification in every
country. Insecure-avoidant attachment was the next most
common in every country except Israel, China and Japan, in which
insecure-resistant attachment was the second most common
attachment type.
They concluded that secure attachment is the ‘norm’ in most
cultures and support the view that attachment is an innate and
biological process.
This research has been criticised because the Strange Situation
may not be a valid measure in all countries as the values in each
country are different. In the West (US and UK) we value
independence (individualist culture), but in other cultures
dependence is more valued (collectivist culture). Takahashi (1990)
states that Japanese infants are not often separated from their
mothers before 2 years of age and this explains why they were
more distressed in the Strange Situation experiment.
Work in a group of 3 to exchange information and
complete the remaining two tables.
Attachment
The Beauchamp College