Classic Evidence Flashcards
Who wrote the classic evidence for the Psychodynamic approach?
Bowlby (1944)
What was the methodology of Bowlby? (1944)
The study was a series of case studies, there was a control group but the study wasn’t an experiment. It used matched pairs and opportunity sampling
What was the sample of Bowlby (1944)?
44 children, 31 boys and 13 girls aged 5-17 years old , 15 had above-average intelligence, 2 had below-average
And a control group which was matched on key characteristics such as sex and IQ but they were not theives
All of their mothers were interviewed
Where did Bowlby (1944) get his sample from?
A child guidance clinic in London
What were the procedures of Bowlbys initial examination of the children (1944)?
Initial examination - each child given mental tests by psychologists to assess their intelligence + Their emotional attitude.
At the same time a social worker interviewed the childs mother and recorded details about the childs early history
They both reported to the psychiatrist (Bolwby) who then interviewed the child and mother for 2hrs
What did the therapy sessions that the children underwent allow?
They allowed a detailed case history to be recorded and allowed Bowlby to diagnose the children’s emotional problems
What were the 6 main personality types Bowlby found? (Findings)
Normal
Depressed - depressed state of mind
Circular - alternating highs and lows
Hyperthymic - over active
Affectionless - lack of normal affection shame or sense of responsibility
Schizoid - children who displayed schizoid symptoms
What did Bowlbys find regarding seperation?
That 12 of the 14 affectionless characters had experienced frequent separations from their mothers, whereas the other 30 thieves had 3 separations in total
Shows the importance of the mother on development of emotions and general development
What did Bowlby (1944) conclude?
He claimed that the children would not have become offenders if they had not had experiences harmful to their development.
He suggested that the absences of a mother affects the development of the superego (the childs sense of right and wrong)
Explain why Bowlby’s use of 88 emotionally disturbed children is a point of evaluation?
It may make it impossible to generalise to ‘normal children’ as an emotionally disturbed child is not the same
Why does Bowlby (1944) have bias data? (Evaluation)
It has biased data as Bowlby (although he was a very experienced Psychiatrist) diagnosed all of the patients himself, his results may be based off what he wanted to find as he led the study
Why can’t any causal findings be drawn from Bowlby (1944)? (Evaulation)
Because the IV was not manipulated, it is not right to conclude that separation from the mother causes affectionless characters as Bowlby observed and did not manipulate variables
Why does Bowlby (1944) have an issue with gaining valid consent?
Children were used in the study , aswell as Bowlby did not gain valid consent from the children or the mother as the study was published 5 years after the children were ‘treated’
Why does Bowlby (1944) have issues with confidentiality of participants?
The report gives the real first names of the children and the first letter of their last names , aswell as publishing their case histories which shared significant details about their lives. The children were not given confidentiality
What were the social implications of Bowlbys (1944) research?
Bowlby’s research highlighted the importance of a mother’s care at a time when mothers were undervalued - helped women be seen as valuable
What percentage of theives had experienced prolonged seperation from their mother? (Findings)
40%
What was the home life like for the other 27 child theives who had not been seperated from their mother? (Findings)
Very poor, many of them were unwanted, a few had fathers who hated them and many anxious and unstable mothers
How many of the 44 theives were diagnosed as ‘normal’? (Findings)
2 - and even they showed instability
How many of the theives had fathers who hated them? (Findings)
5 out of 44
How many of the theives had anxious or hostile mothers? (Findings)
17 out of 27 (not including those who had experienced seperation)
How many of the non-thieves had experienced seperation? (Findings)
2 out of 44
How many of the thieves had experienced separation in total? (Findings)
17 out of 44 (12 being affectionless)
What is the alternative evidence for Bowlby (1944) ?
Research compared a group of romanian orpahans to a uk control group of children and found that the orphans who were adopted after turning 6 months old lagged behind the control in all measures (physical, cognitive , socially)
