Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory

Question 1

what is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory?

Answer 1

continuous maternal care is essential for normal psychological development. prolonged separation = intellectual and emotional damage

Question 2

what is the critical period?

Answer 2

first 2.5 years. if deprivation occurs during this, it could result in long term cognitive emotional and social difficulty, which is irreversible

Question 3

what are the 2 main effects of maternal deprivation?

Answer 3

intellectual delay- low IQ
emotional issues- affectionless psychopathy (lack of guilt and empathy)

Question 4

what was the aim of the 44 thieves study?

Answer 4

investigated to see if prolonged deprivation leads to affectionless psychopathy.

Question 5

what was the procedure and findings of the 44 thieves study?

Answer 5

44 juvenile thieves interviewed for AP- control group of 44 emotionally stable kids

14/44 were affectionless psychopaths, 12 experienced maternal dep

Question 6

strength- real world application

Answer 6

bowlby’s theory influenced childcare policies- led to changes in hospital visit hrs so parents can stay with children. children also adopted earlier= positive implications

Question 7

weakness- contradictory evidence

Answer 7

Lewis- studied 500 ppl and found no link between maternal dep and criminality= challenges bowlby’s cause and effect assumption- suggests other factors may be more important

Question 8

weakness- researcher bias

Answer 8

Bowlby designed and conducted the self-reports himself= his presence and interpretation might have influenced the outcome of the research. the diagnosis of AP might have been distorted by researcher bias.

Question 9

strength- strong ecological validity

Answer 9

used real life case studies on children’s attachment experiences = reflects real-world situations, making the findings applicable to everyday life.
Therefore, the use of natural settings enhances the ecological validity of the theory