attachment: bowlbys maternal deprivation Flashcards
what is the difference between deprivation and separation?
deprivation is when an element of care is taken away, separation is when the infant and mother are completely out of contact
define privation.
failure to form an attachment
define material deprivation.
emotional and intellectual consequences of prolonged separation between PCG and infant that leads to the loss of the attachment bond
what conditions did Bowlby think would lead to inevitable psychological damage of the child?
If a child is separated from their mother in the absence of suitable
substitute care and so deprived of her emotional care for an extended period during the critical period
what critical period did Bowlby identify?
first 30 months of child’s life
what are the three main effects of maternal deprivation during the critical period?
delinquency, affectionless psychopathy and intellectual retardation
what evidence has Goldfarb (1947) got to support delayed intellectual development of maternally deprived children?
found that children who had spent more than three years in foster care had lower IQs and showed more social immaturity and aggression than children not in care
what are the main effects of maternal deprivation on emotional development?
attachment disorders, anxiety, and aggression
describe the procedure of Bowlby’s study into the 44 thieves.
interviewed 44 criminal teenagers for traits of psychopathy and their family members to see if they experienced prolonged separations from mothers, compared this to a control of non-criminal teenagers (but were emotionally disturbed)
what were the findings of Bowlby’s study into the 44 thieves.
14/44 thieves were ‘affectionless psychopaths’ - 12 of which had prolonged separations (compared to 5/30 of control where 2/44 had prolonged separations)
ao3:what is a limitation of the methodology of Bowlby’s study of the 44 thieves? what does this mean for the theory as a whole?
his study can be seen as bias, bowlby carried out the assessments himself and family interviews, he knew what he had to find therefore the study has low internal validity and can question the theory as a whole
ao3: outline the replication that Lewis (1954) conducted. why is this evidence a limitation of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
partially replicated 44 thieves, larger scale of 500 people in sample who of which experienced prolonged separation with mothers and found that it didn’t predict criminality or difficulty with relationships, this shows Bowlbys study is less accurate and may lack validity
ao3: what evidence is there against the critical period? Why is this a limitation of the theory?
bowlby used the term ‘critical period’ because he believed that prolonged separation inevitably caused damage if it took place within that period.
However, later research has shown that damage is not inevitable. some cases of very severe deprivation have had good outcomes provided the child has some social interaction and good aftercare. showing the critical period may be more of a sensitive period and Bowlbys findings are inaccurate.
ao3: deprivation vs privation- how can this be a criticism of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
Micheal Rutter (1981) claimed when Bowlby talked of ‘deprivation’ he was muddling 2 concepts: deprivation and privation, he claimed the long term damage bowlby associated with deprivation would be more likely to be the result of privation
ao3: what research support is there for Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation (research in rats)? Why is this a strength?
Levy et al (2003) rat study, shows that separating rats from mother at birth had a permanent effect on social deprivation
