🟡 Attachment - Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Question 1

What is maternal deprivation

Answer 1

The emotional and intellectual consequences of seperatikn between a child and their mother

Question 2

What did bowlby believe a child needed for normal development

Answer 2

Bowlby believed continuous care from a mother is
essential for normal psychological development
● Separation from this adult causes serious damage to
emotional and intellectual development

Question 3

Bowlbys hypothesis

Answer 3

Expected children deprived from mother / mother substitute to have long term intellectual and emtoional consequences

Question 4

What is an affectionless psychopath

Answer 4

Little care about others, limited emotional development, inability to show affection / concern for others, acting on impulse with little regard for consequences

Question 5

When is the critical period for us

Answer 5

First 5 years

Question 6

Deprivation theory

Answer 6

Deprivation — in critical period — IQ and mental retardation — affectionless psychopath

Question 7

When was the 44 thieves study

Answer 7

1944

Question 8

Method of 44thieves study

Answer 8

Group 1 - 44 thieves, referred to Bowlby after being convicted of theft, social worker interviews mother to get periods of any separation

Group 2 - 4 non thieves, referred to bowlby after being convicted of theft, social worker interviews mother to get periods of any separation

Question 9

Findings of 44 thieves study for thieves

Answer 9

Thieves - 32% (14) young thieves showed affectionless psychopathy, 86% (12) of affection less psychopaths had experienced long term periods of maternal separation before the age of 5

Question 10

Findings of 44 thieves study for non thieves

Answer 10

0% of the controls showed affectionless psychopathy. Only 4% (2) had experienced prolonged separation

Question 11

Conclusion of 44 thieves study

Answer 11

Separation in early life led to long term ill effects, particularly affecting emotional development. Bowlby concluded that there was a link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy

Question 12

Bowlby and Robertson (1952)

Answer 12

• observed children experiencing intense distress when separated from their mothers
• found 3 progressive stages of distress
  / protest, child cries and protests angrily when the parent leaves
  / despair, child’s protesting begins to stop, appear calmer although still upset
  / detachment, child begins to engage with other people, reject caregiver on return

Question 13

Spitz and wolf (1947)

Answer 13

• conducted research in children’s orphanages from South America
• one institution, babies separated from their mothers at 3 months
• one institution, babies f inmates were separated from their mothers but receive regular visits

Concluded that prison babies thrived while orphaned children displayed development delays

Question 14

Strengths of bowlby’s research into maternal deprivation

Answer 14

• Bowlbys work had huge effects on child care practices
• led to changing of hospital regulations (now allow parents to stay in the hospital with their children) and day care practices
• emphasised the importance of care and love in the early years of life

Question 15

Weaknesses of Bowlbys research into maternal deprivation

Answer 15

• failed to distinguish between deprivation and privation
• issue of social sensitivity - emphasis on maternal care
• research bias, bowlby used his own research to support his theory lack of objectivity