Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Question 1

Define deprivation

Answer 1

Prolonged separation during critical period that leads to absence of emotional care

Question 2

Describe Bowlby’s laws of deprivation

Answer 2

Law of accumulated separation = every separation adds up and will have negative consequences for the infant
Law of continuity = states the more continuous care is, the better quality of attachment

Question 3

What are the consequences on intellect of deprivation?

Answer 3

• damages intellectual development –> lower IQ

Question 4

What are the consequences on emotion of deprivation?

Answer 4

• damages emotional development –> affectionless psychopaths (lack of guilt and emotion towards others) = prevents individuals developing fulfilling relationships + associated with criminality
• also may affect IWM -poor template for future relationships

Question 5

Outline Bowblys study into Maternal deprivation

Answer 5

44 Thieves
- recruited 44 teens accused of petty theft
- Bowlby interviewed teens and families, assessed levels of psychopathy
- also asked about early separations from mothers
~ found 14/44 scored high for affectionless psychopathy, 12/ these 14 experienced 6+ months of separation from mothers during critical period
~ however intelligence above average
- supports idea of prolonged separation affecting emotional development, counters affect on intellect

Question 6

Give strengths and limitations of Bowlby’s MDH

Answer 6

– socially sensitive –> pressures mothers to continuously care for their child to avoid issues; may have implications for working mothers, also alpha bias
+ 44 Thieves study supports idea of deprivation affecting psychopathy however counters idea of IQ
+ supported by Harlow’s wire mother study; monkeys were aggressive and poor parents

Question 7

Evaluate Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study

Answer 7

– socially desirability bias –> use of interviews; family members may not want to admit to neglect, low IV
– Sampling issues, –> small sample, also lacks population validity as only took Thieves from London
– correlational data –> does not show causal affect between deprivation and psychopathy
– researcher bias –> Bowlby already worked at centre, no double/single blind procedure so objectivity affected