Developmental Psychology: Deprivation of Attachment

Question 1

Name Bowlby’s Hypothesis

Answer 1

Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Question 2

State the 3 features of Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Answer 2

> There must be a continuous relationship between a child and its mother or maternal figure
The relationship must develop before 2.5 years otherwise it will result in emotional disturbance
The relationship does not have to be with the mother, a maternal substitute is sufficient

Question 3

Name the study Bowlby performed

Answer 3

The juvenile thieves study/The 44 thieves study

Question 4

What was the procedure?

Answer 4

Bowlby tested his hypothesis on a sample of 88 children who had been referred to a child guidance clinic. 44 were referred because of stealing, and Bowlby identified 16 of them to be ‘affectionless psychopaths’. The other 44 had not committed any crimes and Bowlby found no evidence of emotional disturbance or anti social behaviour. Bowlby then interviewed all the 88 children and their families, focusing on early life experiences.

Question 5

What did he find?

Answer 5

86% of the ‘affectionless psychopaths’ had experienced separation for a long time from their mothers, only 17% of the thieves experienced prolonged separation.

Question 6

What conclusions were drawn from the study?

Answer 6

Bowlby concluded deprivation does in fact lead to emotional and behavioural disorders, and in its most severe form it leads to antisocial behaviour such as theft.

Question 7

Name some weaknesses of this study

Answer 7

> The findings are correlational, even though psychopathy and deprivation are linked, you cannot say one caused the other.
The data might be unreliable because the people Bowlby interviewed may have overestimated or underestimated the frequency and duration of separations