Paper 1 Evaluations Flashcards

Question

Evaluate the Learning Theory of Attachment

Answer 1

Bad - there is counter evidence from Animal studies: - Harlow found that Rhesus Monkeys prefer contact comfort to food. When scared, they ran to the cloth mother for safety rather than the model with food. - Lorenz found that geese imprinted regardless of associations. Bad - There is counter evidence from Human studies: - Schaffer and Emerson found humans are more likely to primarily attach to their mothers regardless of food - Isabella et al found a positive correlation between levels of interactional synchrony and quality of attachment - This suggests food isn't the only or main factor in attachment Bad - Environmental Determinism: - It suggests all attachment behaviour is caused by simple stimulus-response associations from the environment - It removes the possibility of free will and the concept of active involvement

Answer 2

Good - Real World Application for Social Services - Knowing about the critical period and effects of no specific attachment has helped to encourage mothers to keep their babies until the critical period has passed before sending them to daycare - It has also helped speed up the adoption process so babies can be adopted as early as 1 week old, so they can form primary attachments to their adoptive mother Bad - Culture Bias - Romanian orphans were compared to British orphans - There may already be differences between the intellectual and emotional development of Romanian and British children, so it is unfair to compare the two - This suggests the research support may lack validity or generalisability Good - Longitudinal Study - By following the children through life, we can see the short term and long term effects of institutionalisation - This suggests we have a strong, comprehensive idea of the effects of institutionalisation, and we can use our knowledge to find solutions Bad - Social Sensitivity - The adoptee's data about their personality and IQ was published - This could mean their teachers and parents might treat them differently or lower their expectations or standards for them - This could create a negative self schema and stop the children from reaching their full intellectual or emotional development

Answer 3

Bad - Early attachments are usually assessed retrospectively - Most studies are not longitudinal, they just ask adolescent or adult participants about their attachments with their parents to identify the attachment type. - This may mean the adult attachment type is actually being assessed - This could mean there are confounding variables, so the research may lack validity Bad - Methodological Issues - Most techniques are interviews - Interviews are self report techniques, and this could mean there is an element of demand characteristics or social desirability - This matters because it could question the validity of the theories due to there being possible confounding variables Bad - Psychic Determinism - The theories like the internal working model suggest all behaviour is a result of childhood attachments - This removes any free will or environmental factors, which could be negative as there might be other additional explanations that are being ignored.

Answer 4

Good - research support from Harlow - Harlow followed maternally deprived monkeys - those who had not formed a primary attachment with their mother within the critical period - He found they were more aggressive and less likely to mate - If they mated, they were likely to kill or harm their young, suggesting maternal deprivation has long lasting, detrimental effects HOWEVER Bad - Animal extrapolation Bad - Possible observer bias/flawed methodology - Bowlby conducted every interview himself - This means he knew which teenagers experienced separations and which he suspected to be affectionless psychopaths - He could have intentionally or unintentionally recorded those who matched his hypothesis criteria as affectionless psychopaths, so his results may lack objectivity and validity Bad - Case study evidence refutes the effects of maternal deprivation - The Czech twins suffered abuse, isolation and neglect as they were locked in a cupboard until they were 7 years old (long after the critical period) - When they were discovered and helped, they were successful in relationships and school, and now both have healthy jobs and loving families - This goes against the ideas that maternal deprivation has long term effects on intellectual and emotional development HOWEVER Case studies are idiographic, so we should not generalise the findings to a whole population or general law as it may not be true for everyone

Answer 5

Good - The outcome predicts a number of aspects of later development - Wilson and Smith's research show Type B babies are less likely to be involved in bullying in school, and Sroufe suggests Type B babies are likely to have high intelligence - Research also shows Type B babies have better adulthood mental health - This suggests the strange situation measures something meaningful in a baby's development Bad - It could have culture bias - The Strange Situation is a British and American procedure based on individualist ideals and child rearing techniques - This could mean it is not applicable for other countries or collectivist cultures as there could be different cultural norms - This suggests we should not generalise the Strange Situation procedure or findings Bad - Ainsworth may have oversimplified the attachment types - Main and Solomon identified a fourth attachment type - Type D: Disorganised attachment - They identified type D as being a mix of resistant and avoidant behaviours usually due to unusual experiences such as neglect and abuse - This matters because it could mean that some children are mis classified, or that attachment types are not fully understood in the Strange Situation

Answer 6

Good - most of the researchers were indigenous (e.g. Simonelli was Italian conduction and Italian study) - This means there shouldn't be any cross-cultural problems such as misunderstanding language or relying on unfair stereotypes - This should enhance validity Bad - Imposed Etic - Researchers like Simonelli and Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg tried to apply the test designed for Americans to other cultures - Normal child-rearing techniques may differ across cultures - for example, normal German child-rearing techniques are harsher and firmer than normal British child-rearing techniques, but the same attachment types are applied - This suggests it could be an imposed etic if we try to apply the same attachment types to every culture Bad - Confounding Variables - A meta analysis was used for different research across cultures - This could mean different methodology was used, and environmental variables may differ - This matters because there is a lack of standardisation, and comparisons may be unfair

Answer 7

Good - There is research support for imprinting - Guiton fed chicks with rubber gloves and found they became imprinted - Some showed signs of sexual imprinting as they tried to mate with the gloves - This suggests imprinting is an important phenomenon for attachment Good - There is real world application - Harlow has helped social workers understand that a lack of bonding may be a risk in child development - This has allowed people to intervene and put new rules in place to prevent poor development Bad - Animal Extrapolation - Geese are not mammals, and humans do not experience imprinting - Although monkeys are mammals, they have different brain structures, so we cannot assume something as complex as attachment would be the same for humans - This means we should not generalise the findings onto humans

Answer 8

Good - Real World Application - Can be used as a diagnostics tool - It is objective and scientific - It is appropriate for many mental illnesses Bad - Not all abnormal behaviour is infrequent - Depression is experienced by 10% of the population - This means it is not technically statistically infrequent - The behaviour is still abnormal Bad - Not all infrequent behaviour is abnormal - High IQ might be statistically rare - It also might be desirable - Therefore, it might be classed as abnormal although it is a positive trait

Answer 9

Bad - Social norms change depending on culture - Social norms in individualist cultures might be different to those in collectivist cultures - If we try and apply one set of norms everywhere so we can diagnose people as abnormal, there will be culture bias and imposed etics - This suggests there is an element of situational relativism to this definition Bad - Norms change over time and could lack temporal validity - We cannot truly define anything as abnormal when current beliefs about what constitutes as abnormal may change - Views on being gay have changed over time, and so who says what is abnormal now and whether it may stay abnormal over time? Bad - Many individuals who break social norms are not seen as abnormal - For example, people who cross-dress regularly break social norms, but they are seen as eccentric and cool, and they are popular rather than being seen as mentally ill Good - Considers the social dimensions of a behaviour - We understand that a behaviour might be normal in one situation but not in another

Answer 10

Good - Takes the patient's experience into account and can be used for diagnosis - It allows the assessment to be made from the patient's point of view - They are objectively judged through a criteria - Priorities can be made from the number of symptoms to decide treatment Bad - Abnormal behaviour is not always linked to dysfunction - Harold Shipman - He murdered 215 people but maintained a prestigious image as a Doctor - He maintained his relationships and work showing no failure to function adequately - Suggests there may be other factors Bad - Dysfunction may not always be abnormal - If someone is grieving or stressed they might display some of Rosenhan and Seligman's signs - They might not be abnormal, suggesting that there may be other factors that determine whether or not someone is abnormal

Answer 11

Good - Takes a positive approach to mental problems - It focuses on what is desirable rather than what is undesirable Good - Standardised and comprehensive - Jahoda's criteria covers most reasons we seek help - It is a standardised list, meaning it can be used by everyone Bad - Demanding - The criteria are too demanding - Most people do not meet all ideals everyday, so we should all be classified as abnormal

Answer 12

Good - Real World Application - Knowing how association and negative reinforcement works in phobias helps us to tailor treatments to try and undo or combat their associations Bad - Not all Bad Experiences lead to phobias - Some people might not form phobias through a bad experience - For example, someone might be badly injured competing in a sport but will return to that sport after their injury with no phobias - This questions the validity of this explanation and suggests personality also factors in to the acquisition of Phobias Bad - Not all Phobias are from Bad Experiences - Some phobias are of things we have never experienced - e.g. death, sharks, or snakes when you do not live near any snakes or sharks Strength - Research Support - Little Albert - He demonstrated how frightening experiences can lead to the acquisition of Phobias - This gives the 2 process model validity as it has been demonstrated in the real world

Answer 13

Good - Real World Application - it has been proven effective in phobias where the phobic stimulus can be identified - it is also versatile and suitable for different patients, such as those with learning difficulties - the patients are in control and it is not complex Good - Acceptable to patients - the patients are likely to complete the treatment due to it being manageable and them being in control - suggests it has good real world application (external validity) Bad - Not cost effective - the patients only move on when they are ready - they can move back down again if they start to feel uncomfortable - this could mean it takes a long time for each patient to complete their treatment, meaning there could be negative implications for the economy: taking time off work (bad for company) paying for the treatment (taxes) long waiting list - this potentially means it uses too many resources Bad - Less suitable for Social Phobias - it is difficult to complete with phobias that have never been experienced (death, shark bites), or with social phobias such as agoraphobia

Answer 14

Good - Cost Effective - it has quick effects of extinction - because it is quick it takes less time and money Bad - Can be Traumatic for Patients - flooding produces high levels of fear with no escape - patients might not realise how much of the phobic stimulus will surround them, and it might worsen their phobias before it can solve it - this matters because it might not be a successful treatment every time Bad - High levels of Attrition - due to it being a frightening experience, there is likely a high level of dropout - less people will finish their treatment - this matters because it could mean it is not as successful as Systematic Desensitisation, and there may still be implications for the economy if less people are treated but they are still taking up therapists' time

Answer 15

Good - Real World Application - it has helped to create treatments - Beck's CBT is based on Beck's Negative triad - Good as it has external validity Bad - Only a Partial Explanation - there are more than just cognitive factors that contribute to depression - it is a complex mental illness, so perhaps the explanation should be more comprehensive

Answer 16

Good - Real World Application - Has led to Ellis' REBT which is a successful therapy - Good external validity Bad - only offers a partial explanation - Endogenous Depression doesn't have an obvious cause - there is no activating event - perhaps it can only be used on certain types of depression - limits external validity Bad - Ethical Issues - it places blame on the patients - it says they have faulty thinking and irrational beliefs from an event they experienced - this places unnecessary blame onto patients who are already suffering

Answer 17

Good - Research Support suggests it is effective March et al - compared CBT to antidepressant drugs in 327 depressed adolescents for 36 weeks - found 81% of the CBT group improved - 81% of the antidepressant group improved - suggests they are just as effective HOWEVER - 86% of CBT + antidepressant group improved - suggests an interactionist approach would be even better Bad - CBT won't work for everyone - people with severe depression might not engage - may be difficult for people with disabilities - some people might not feel comfortable discussing their emotions - again, perhaps an interactionist approach may be better as drugs could ease nerves and help patients open up during CBT Bad - High relapse rate - CBT deals with problems in the present, so it may be ineffective treatment for the actual cause of the depression in the past - it doesn't change physiological issues - over half of studied patients with depression relapsed within 1 year of stopping CBT

Answer 18

Bad - doesn't work for everyone - again, some people might not want to discuss their thoughts - it places blame on the patient, so they might not want to have their thoughts challenged again Bad - Overemphasis on Cognition - it focuses on the mind of the individual, which may minimise the circumstances or feelings of the individual Good - Good implications for the economy - treatment reduces the number of days off and improves productivity Bad - Bad implications for the economy - it costs time and money - drugs are cheaper to produce and purchase, and are easier to administrate

Answer 19

Good - research support - research was conducted on Twins with OCD - MZ twins had a 68% concordance rate - DZ twins had a 31% concordance rate - this suggests there is a strong genetic influence on OCD HOWEVER Bad - there must be other factors - MZ twins should have 100% concordance rate for genetic related issues - this suggests there must also be environmental factors - this supports the Diathesis Stress model more as it incorporates a gene and an environmental stressor Bad - Biological Reductionism - reduces the whole of OCD down to genes - removes any other personal trauma or environmental influences on behaviour Bad - too many genes involved - OCD is polygenic - there has not been research on every gene - we cannot determine the precise cause of OCD genetically

Answer 20

Bad - No unique neural system - The link between low serotonin and OCD may not be unique to OCD - There is a comorbidity between OCD and Depression, meaning low serotonin may be linked to depression instead - This could mean there is low internal validity as the explanation may not explain OCD like it intended to Bad - Correlation does not equal causation - There is only a correlation between neural abnormality an OCD - This means we cannot infer causation Good - Real World Application - Has helped drug therapies be developed by understanding which areas of the brain and which neurotransmitters are involved in OCD

Answer 21

Bad - Drugs don't work for everyone - there are bad side effects - some are ineffective - patients might have to keep trialing drugs for 3-4months to decide if they are right - some OCD may be more trauma related so drugs won't work Good - Cost effective - cheap to produce - cheap to purchase - quick and easy to take - good implications on the economy Bad - Unreliable Evidence - some drug companies do not publish all information or results surrounding the drug - this means we cannot be sure exactly what could happen for each patient when they take them - possibly riskier or less standardised than a psychological treatment Good - Research support of effectiveness - Research reviewed 17 studies comparing SSRIs to Placebos - found symptoms were reduced by 70% in SSRI patients - symptoms only reduced by 30% for placebo patients - supports their use