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The subject I want to explain is Attachment in infancy. I will summarize
some famous experiments that have been done on this topic, and how the research on
this topic will get different results in different cultural backgrounds, such as Chinese
culture.

Undoubtedly, the first few years of infancy are very crucial for a child’s both
cognitive and social development. The social development in infancy will continue
into adolescence and adulthood and will also have a potential impact on future
behavior (Altman et al., 2017). Attachment is a significant part of developmental
psychology, as well as our social life. The concept of attachment in infancy was first
introduced by John Bowlby, the theoretical basis was inspired by his understanding
of mammals (Altman et al., 2017). Attachment theory implies that the unique bond
one forms with his or her primary caregivers in infancy is critical for
development(Altman et al., 2017).

Infant attachment is difficult to observe because unlike adults, infants cannot
effectively express their feelings. In 1969, American psychologist Mary Ainsworth
introduced the “Strange Situation Procedure” which allowed psychologists to study
attachment in infancy in an effective way (Altman et al., 2017). Ainsworth and her
team have recognized three types of attachment style from the observation of the
Strange Situation Procedure. First, there is the securely attached style identified with
emotional closeness with the caregiver as well as good levels of independence and
exploration. Second, the insecure-resistant style is identified with a certain level of
clinginess towards the mother when the mother is leaving and after the mother comes
back. Third, the insecure-avoidant style, identified with an avoid behavior towards
the caregiver when he or she comes back. According to Ainsworth and Bell (1970),
infant attachment will affect the stress of separation, the fear of strangers and
unfamiliar things, and the desire to explore. Psychologists can also use attachment
style to predict achievement in school, emotional health, relationship, and
self-esteem (Danielson, 2021).

However, each infant will form different attachment types according to
different family situations. Most of these experiments on infant attachment were
conducted in Western countries, and most of the participants were white babies, so I
want to explore how similar experiments would be different if they were conducted
in another environment.

Suppose these experiments are conducted in the context of Chinese culture. In
that case, I think the attachments formed by infants will be more stable because
Chinese culture and Chinese policies cause parents to pay more attention to their
offspring so that babies will develop a more secure relationship with their caregivers.
As a Chinese student studying abroad, I have a thorough understanding and
experience of Chinese culture. In the case of taking care of babies, there is still a big
difference between the Chinese method and the western countries such as the US.
Once affected by the one-child policy, a Chinese family generally only had one child.
The Chinese parents attach great importance to their only child and even over-spoil
them because they are their only offspring. Most parents will almost meet all the
requirements of their children and care about their children in every possible way. At

the same time, there is a tradition in China that three generations of people live in
one house. For example, there are not only parents with children in a family, but also
the grandparents of the children. In this case, it is difficult to ignore the child. On the
contrary, the child will receive extra attention. Even if the child’s parents do not have
time to take care of the child, the child’s grandparents will always take care of the
child.

The extra emphasis on children in Chinese families may make the children
feel attached to their caregivers. As Keller and her team (2007) shows, Chinese
mothers mentioned more body contact in interviews, and Western mothers would let
their children interact with some objects more. The interaction of objects is related to
autonomy in the development path, and body contact is related to the relatedness in
the development path. Also, Chinese parents rarely encourage autonomous behavior
when playing freely with their children(Keller et al., 2007). In such a collective
culture, children will have a better chance of forming attachments with their
caregivers, thus avoiding insecurities.

I chose to use Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation Procedure” to observe the
previous attachment styles of Chinese mothers and children. The Strange Situation
Procedure takes about 21 minutes. It will arrange the baby, mother, and a stranger in
eight different situations. First, introduce experiments for parents and children. The
second is the free play of parents and children. Third, the stranger enters the room.
Fourth, the mother leaves, and the stranger and the child are in the room. Fifth, the
mother comes back, and the stranger leaves. Sixth, the child is alone in the room.
Seventh, the stranger and the child are in the room. Eighth, the stranger left, and the
mother comes back to the room with the child(Altman et al., 2017). By observing the
baby’s response in each different situation, we can identify the attachment style. I
think the result of this experiment will differ from the existing ones by showing that
there should be more insecure-resistant attachment between Chinese mothers and
babies than insecure-avoidant. This is because China’s cultural background and
policies have led parents to pay special attention to their children, making children
more dependent on their parents, resulting in unwillingness to leave their parents.
Therefore insecure-resistant will be more than insecure-avoidant.

References

Altman, M., Jacobi, L., Avilla, R., Beston, B., Brown, K., Burton, E.T., Carducci,
B., Hummel, J., Lukowski, A., Martinez, R.L., O’Donovan, A., Poplock, S.,
Slonecker, E., Swisher, M., VanArsdall, J., Vervaeke, J.,& Wehe, H.
(2017).Introduction to psychology: A Top Hat interactive text. Top Hat
Monocle.https://tophat.com/marketplace/beta/oer-introduction-to-psychology-meagh
an-altman/737/

https://tophat.com/marketplace/beta/oer-introduction-to-psychology-meaghan-altman/737/

https://tophat.com/marketplace/beta/oer-introduction-to-psychology-meaghan-altman/737/

Ainsworth, M., & Bell, S. (1970). Attachment, Exploration, and Separation:
Illustrated by the Behavior of One-Year-Olds in a Strange Situation. Child
Development, 41(1), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1970.tb00975.x

Danielson, K. (2021). “Human Development Lecture 3”. PSYA02: Introduction to
Clinical, Development, Personality, and Social . University of Toronto,
Scarborough. Retrieved 2 June 2021.

Keller, H., Abels, M., Borke, J., Lamm, B., Yanjie Su, Yifang Wang, & Lo, W.
(2007). Socialization environments of Chinese and Euro-American middle-class
babies: Parenting behaviors, verbal discourses and ethnotheories. International
Journal of Behavioral Development, 31(3),
210–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025407074633

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1970.tb00975.x

https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025407074633