Psychodynamic Debate Flashcards
Sex roles and stereotypes - For
Hardy (1999) - found that fathers were LESS ABLE to detect low level stress levels in infants than mothers, speculated due to lower levels of oestrogen
Sex roles and stereotypes - against
Abraham et al (2014) - used brain scans to assess brain sensitivity at pregnancy in both parents - found that fathers showed high amygdala activity similar to mothers and high activation of STS (superior temporal sulcus)
Implications of Hardy’s (1999) research
Social: diminishes responsibility of the father resulting in them being less available than they should be
Implications of Abraham et al.’s (2014) research
Social/Economic: beneficial to society if parents are more flexible, e.g if more mothers are going to work
Attachment theory - For
Baileys et al - interviewed mothers and assessed their attachment style, finding that their current attachment style with infants reflects their attachment style from their childhood
- supports Bowlby’s theory of monotropic attachment since the attachment the infant has with the mother is significant through their entire life (the internal working model)
Attachment theory - against
Zimmerman et al. (2000) - longitudinal research on boys from infancy to 16 years - found NO consistency in attachment style
Implications of Baileys et al.’s research
Ethical: Diminishes role and efforts of others in the child’s life, putting a lot of pressure on the mother
Implications of Zimmerman et al’s (2000) research
Ethical/Economic: relieves pressure from mothers to allow them to also focus on their own work and mental health while allowing others to support the child too
Feeding - for
Rennick Salone et al. (2013) - used results of meta-analyses and systematic reviews – concluded that breastfeeding is associated with significantly lower risk of infections and sickness in comparison to infants who are not breastfed
Feeding - against
Harlow (1958) - experimented with monkeys and either a solid surrogate doll that just fed the monkeys or a soft cuddly surrogate doll that didn’t provide food.
Found that monkeys with the soft doll were more explorative, and the others with the wire doll had diarrhoea, were not explorative, and frequently showed signs of distress
Implications of Rennnick Salone et al.’s (2013) research
Economic: Breastfeeding is free, and formula is not (Aptamil 800g is £18!). Therefore it’s economically better to breastfeed
Implications/Evaluation of Harlow’s research
This study is beyond unethical and outdated. Provided animals with psychological harm.
