Nation vs. Culture
Type: Criticism
- The finding is based on countries not cultures
- Therefore the study lacks validity since there are different subcultures in each country
- The study may not be comparing cultures and that ‘cultural variations’ should be used with caution
Ethnocentrism
Type: Criticism
- Imposed etic
- When a technique is designed in one culture but imposed on another
- Limitation of cross-cultural research; suffers from imposed etic
- Strange Situation observation methodology was designed in America
- Linked to cultural assumptions of the designer
- Strange Situation sees willingness to explore as a sign of secure attachment
- However in Japanese culture, dependence rather than independence would be seen as a sign of secure attachment
- Therefore Japanese children may appear to be insecurely attached according to Western criteria but not by Japanese standards
- This means that research using Strange Situation may lack validity in other cultures and may result in misclassification of attachment types
Strength of cross cultural research
Type: Strength
Study: Posada and Jacobs
- Lots of evidence that supports the underlying principles of attachment
- China, Columbia and Germany all support the idea that maternal sensitivity leads to secure attachment
- Therefore even though the expression of maternal sensitivity and behaviours found in securely attached children may vary across cultures, the core concepts are the same