Welcome to the Prescribed Studies of Developmental Psychology!

In this chapter, we are going to dive into the specific research that forms the backbone of Topic E: Developmental Psychology. Think of theories (like Bowlby’s or Piaget’s) as the "ideas" and these studies as the "evidence." We will look at how attachment varies across the world, how social skills can be taught, and how early bonds affect our brains.

Don't worry if the names seem long or the statistics look complicated at first. We will break each study down into simple steps: Aims, Procedure, Findings, and Evaluation (the good and the bad points).


1. The Classic Study: Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

"Cross-cultural patterns of attachment: A Meta-Analysis"

Imagine you wanted to know if babies all over the world bond with their parents in the same way. You couldn't possibly travel to every country yourself, so what do you do? You look at everyone else’s research! This is called a meta-analysis.

The Aim

To investigate the proportions of Type A (Insecure-Avoidant), Type B (Secure), and Type C (Insecure-Resistant) attachment styles across different cultures.

The Procedure

The researchers looked at 32 studies from 8 different countries (including the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, and Israel). All of these studies had used Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation procedure. In total, they looked at the results for over \(2,000\) babies!

Key Findings
  • Secure Attachment (Type B) was the most common type in every country.
  • Germany had the highest levels of Insecure-Avoidant (Type A) attachment. This might be because German culture values independence in children.
  • Japan and Israel had the highest levels of Insecure-Resistant (Type C) attachment. In Japan, babies are rarely separated from their mothers, so the Strange Situation is very stressful for them!
  • Crucial Discovery: They found that variation within a country (intracultural) was actually 1.5 times greater than the variation between countries (intercultural).
Evaluation (AO3)

Strengths: The sample size is huge (over \(2,000\) infants), which makes the findings much more generalisable (we can apply them to more people).
Weaknesses: Most of the studies were done in Western cultures (like the USA and Europe). Only a few were from Eastern cultures like Japan, so it might not be a perfectly "global" picture. Also, the Strange Situation was designed in the USA; using it to judge babies in Japan might be ethnocentric (imposing one culture's values on another).

Quick Review: Remember, Secure is the "global norm," but culture changes how "insecurity" looks!


2. The Contemporary Study: Cassibba et al. (2013)

"Attachment the Italian way"

Since the 1988 study was quite old, researchers wanted to see if things had changed. Cassibba and colleagues decided to focus specifically on Italy.

The Aim

To see if Italian attachment patterns matched the "global" patterns found by Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg, or if Italy had its own unique style.

Key Findings

They found that Italian children were generally similar to the global norm (Secure was most common). However, they noticed that in some Italian samples, there were higher levels of Insecure-Avoidant attachment than expected. They suggested this might be because of modern changes in Italian parenting, where children are placed in daycare earlier.

Evaluation (AO3)

This study is great because it uses more modern data, making it more temporally valid (relevant to today). However, like the 1988 study, it still relies on the Strange Situation, which some psychologists argue is too artificial.


3. Choice Study Option A: Ashdown and Bernard (2012)

"Can explicit instruction in social and emotional learning skills benefit young children?"

Note: Your teacher may have chosen this study OR the Ding et al. study below.

The Aim

To see if teaching "Social and Emotional Learning" (SEL) programs in schools actually helps children become more socially competent and improves their well-being.

The Procedure

They used a program called "You Can Do It! Education" with a group of Preparatory and Grade 1 students. Teachers gave explicit lessons on things like getting along, persistence, and confidence.

Key Findings

The children who received the lessons showed significant improvements in their social-emotional competence compared to a control group. They also showed lower levels of "problem behaviors."

Key Takeaway

Social skills aren't just something you are born with; they can be taught in school to help children develop better emotional health!


4. Choice Study Option B: Ding et al. (2014)

"The relation of early infant attachment to attachment and cognitive development outcomes"

The Aim

To look at how early attachment in Chinese infants relates to their cognitive development (thinking and learning) as they get older.

The Findings

They found that infants who were Securely Attached at a young age tended to have better cognitive scores later in childhood. This supports the idea that a safe "base" with a caregiver allows a child to explore and learn better.

Did you know? This study is important because it shows that attachment isn't just about "feelings"—it actually helps your brain and intelligence grow!


5. Other Named Studies to Remember

The syllabus mentions a few other researchers you should be able to link to their specific topics:

  • Bowlby (1944) 44 Juvenile Thieves: This is the famous study where Bowlby found that \(14\) out of \(44\) young thieves were "affectionless psychopaths." Most of these (\(12\) out of \(14\)) had experienced maternal deprivation (separation from their mother) early in life. (Cross-reference: Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis).
  • O’Connor et al. (2013): This study is linked to learning theories of attachment. It looks at how children's interactions with caregivers are reinforced through rewards like food or comfort.
  • Punch in Bolivia (2002): An ethnographic study. Punch lived with a community in rural Bolivia to see how children there take on much more responsibility at a younger age compared to Western children. It’s a great example of cross-cultural research!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Mixing up Inter and Intra: Intercultural means between different countries (e.g., USA vs. Japan). Intracultural means within the same country (e.g., New York vs. Los Angeles). Van IJzendoorn found Intra was larger!
2. Forgetting the "Why": In the exam, don't just say "Japan had more Type C." Explain why (e.g., because Japanese mothers rarely leave their infants alone, making the separation in the study more shocking).
3. Over-generalising: Even though Van IJzendoorn used \(2,000\) babies, remember that many countries weren't included at all (like countries in Africa or South America).


Quick Review Box

Classic Study: Van IJzendoorn (1988) - Meta-analysis, Secure is most common, cultural variations exist.
Italian Study: Cassibba (2013) - Italy mostly follows the global norm but shows modern changes.
Social Skills: Ashdown & Bernard (2012) - Social and emotional skills can be taught in schools.
Cognitive Link: Ding et al. (2014) - Secure attachment leads to better thinking/learning skills.
Methodology: Most attachment studies use the Strange Situation, but modern researchers also use clinical interviews and ethnography.