Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

Separation

Answer 1

When a child is away from their caregiver they are attached to (impermanant)

Question 2

Deprivation

Answer 2

loss of something wanted or needed (long term)

Question 3

Maternal deprivation

Answer 3

loss of emotional care from the mother of PCG

Question 4

What is Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 4

-If monotrophy is broken in the critical period (2 1/2 years) there will be irreversible long term psychological consequences of deprivation.
-Continuous care from mother is essential
-Separation from this adult causes damage to emotional and intellectual development.
-Can lead to affection-less psychopathy- inability to experience guilt or emotion
-IWM acts as template so negative IWM and continuity hypothesis.

Question 5

Bowlby 44 thieves aim

Answer 5

to investigate Bowlby’s hypothesis that early maternal deprivation leads to problems with emotional development.

Question 6

Bowlby 44 thieves procedure

Answer 6

-44 criminal teens interviewed
-Interviewed for signs of affection-less psychopathy
Families interviewed about early prolonged separation the thieves had experienced from their mothers.
Results compared to results of 44 ‘control children’

Question 7

Bowlby 44 thieves findings

Answer 7

14/44 thieves were affection-less
12/14 experienced prolonged maternal separation in the critical period
only 5 of the affection-less thieves experienced this separation
Only 2 of the control group experienced separation (none were affection-less psychopaths.

Question 8

Goldfarb Orphan IQ study

Answer 8

30 orphans up to the age of 12, half sample fostered at 4 months, other half stayed at the orphanage.
Given aStanford Binet IQ test at age 12.
Fostered group IQ- 96, orphanage group IQ- 68
Supports Bowlby’s intellectual development theory
Suggets the importance of foster families.

Question 9

Strengths

Answer 9

Real world application- Impact on post war thinking about child rearing and how children were looked after in hospitals. Children used to be separated from parents but now parents can stay longer and overnights. Baby P (17 month of found dead) helped child protection services to prevent physical and intellectual issues.

Question 10

Weaknesses

Answer 10

Methodological flaws- Retrospective as recalling memories so many not be reliable. Experimenter bias as Bowlby was trying to prove his own theory, uses correlational data so may not be causation.
ignores external variables
Researcher bias- a blind procedure may have been better.

Kovolochova twins

privation not deprivation