In Uganda Ainsworth studied 26 families, gathering information about mother-child relationships. She also interviewed and gathered data about the parent’s sensitivity. Mothers who knew a lot about their babies when interviewed were sensitive to their children’s needs and they tended to have less securely attached children who used their mother as a secure base. Less sensitive mothers’ children cried more and explored less.
In Baltimore Ainsworth observed 26 families from birth until they turned 1. She looked at face-to-face interaction, responsiveness to crying and physical needs. The final stage of her observations was the strange situation in the lab. The focus was the pattern of interactions at home and conclusions about the sensitivity of the mother related to the attachment type of the child. Most of the focus on the results of the strange situation tended to overshadow about responsiveness.
There were many similarities in attachment types and types of mothering between the two cultures. The general conclusion was that secure babies cry less and use their mothers as a base to explore, less secure babies, on the other hand, explored less and had less sensitive others. Because they were similar in the two cultures it suggests a biological basis for attachment types.
Grossman et al in Germany found more anxious insecure types. In Germany, it is either that mothers aren’t as responsive or they value independence more.
Miyake et al found that there were more ambivalent insecure types in Japan ad Sagi et al also found the same in Israel. In both of these countries there is less emphasis on getting on with strangers and family is seen as very important – this means children are less used to being with other children.