Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Question 1

Did Bowlby’s material deprivation theory come before or after his theory of attachment?

Answer 1

before

Question 2

What is maternal deprivation?

Answer 2

The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother/substitute

Question 3

What is separation?

Answer 3

-Child is not in presence of PAF
-Brief separations, where child is left with substitute caregiver who can provide emotional care is not significant for development

Question 4

What is deprivation?

Answer 4

prolonged separation without adequate substitute care

Question 5

What is privation?

Answer 5

Failure to form an attachment in the first place

Question 6

What did Bowlby say the critical period was for psychological development?

Answer 6

2 and a half years

Question 7

What happens if child is separated from their mother for an extended duration during this critical period?

Answer 7

deprived of emotional care so psychological damage is inevitable

Question 8

What two effects does extended deprivation have on a child?

Answer 8

Effects their intellectual development and emotional development

Question 9

What effects does extended deprivation have on child’s intellectual development?

Answer 9

-abnormally low IQ

Question 10

Whose adoption study supports low IQ because of maternal deprivation and what did they find ?

Answer 10

Goldfarb (1947) - found low IQ in children who had remained in institutions compared to those who were fostered

Question 11

What effects does extended deprivation have on a child’s emotional development?

Answer 11

affectionless psychopathy- inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others

Inability to form normal relationships; associated with criminality

Question 12

What did Bowlby’s 44 thieves study (1944) examine?

Answer 12

the link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy

Question 13

Two groups in Bowlby’s study ?

Answer 13

44 teens referred for stealing compared to a control group of non criminal emotionally disturbed teen

Question 14

What did Bowlby find about the thieves?

Answer 14

14/44 thieves - affectionless psychopaths
12/14 had experienced prolonged separation

Question 15

What did Bowlby find about the control group?

Answer 15

2/44 experienced long separations
0/44 were affectionless psychopaths

Question 16

What can be concluded from Bowlby’s thieves study?

Answer 16

Prolonged early separation/deprivation causes affectionless psychopathy

Question 17

why is maternal deprivation hypothesis based on flawed evidence?

Answer 17

44 thieves study is flawed because Bowlby carried out both family interviews and assessments for affectionless psychopathy-open to bias as he knew what to expect

Question 18

Why is Goldfarbs study also poor evidence?

Answer 18

Flawed as it has problems of confounding variables because children in Goldfarbs study had experienced early trauma and institutional care as well as prolonged separation from PAF

Question 19

Another limitation of Bowlby’s maternal deprivation is his…

Answer 19

confusion between two types of early negative experience.

Question 20

what did Rutter draw a distinction between and how did he define them?

Answer 20

The two types of early negative experience
Deprivation strictly refers to loss of PAF after attachment has developed
Privation is failure to form attachment in the first place

Question 21

What does Rutter conclude based on this distinction between the two types of early negative experiences?

Answer 21

The severe long term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation is actually more likely to be a result of privation (eg 44 thieves study had disrupted early lives so may never have formed attachment)

Question 22

What evidence is their to refute Bowlby’s idea that damage is inevitable if attachment is not formed in the critical period?

Answer 22

Koluchva reported case of Czech twins who experienced emotional & psychological abuse from the age of 18 months up until they were 7- experienced good quality aftercare and fully recovered by the time they were teens