Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory is based upon what idea?

There will be long-term consequences if a child experiences deprivation (i.e. long-term separation) from the mother

Who did Bowlby argue was the most important relationship for a child?

Mother

Which concept from Bowlby’s monotropic theory refers to the value of a single attachment over al others?

Monotropy

Over what time period are the effects of separation from the mother most likely to cause problems & what term is used to refer to this time?

• First 2.5 years

• Critical period

How long-term did Bowlby argue the effects of separation from the mother within the critical period would be?

Irreversible

Give three examples of the effects of maternal deprivation that Bowlby proposed

• Intellectual deficits (mental retardation)

• Criminality (delinquency)

• Lack of emotional development, including affectionless psychopathy

What is affectionless psychopathy?

The inability to empathise with others of feel guilt

What research did Bowlby complete to support his theory of maternal deprivation?

44 juvenile thieves study

Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study showed how many of the delinquents that had affectionless psychopathy also experienced maternal deprivation in childhood?

12/14

Whose research supported Bowlby?

Goldfarb/Levy/Harlow

What research method did Goldfarb use?

A longitudinal study

How many pairs of children were used in Goldfarb’s study & what age were they?

15 pairs, aged 10-14 years

What were Goldfarb’s findings?

Those children who were fostered soon after birth had intellectual deficits resulting from a lack of care as Bowlby’s theory predicted

What did Levy et al. show in their study of baby rats?

Separating baby rats from their mother for as little as a day had a permanent effect on their social development although no other aspects of their development

How does Harlow’s work relate to Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis?

Harlow showed that being reared without a mother led to aggression & the inability to socialise/mate with other monkeys

In what way did Bowlby’s research have positive real-world implications?

• Hospitals changed their practices so that mothers were encouraged to stay with their child in hospital

• The importance of continuity of care was recognised for children in institutions

In what way is Bowlby’s research socially sensitive?

• It placed emphasis on the mother & affected her views on childcare/returning to work

• Therefore, affecting how an entire generation of children were raised

Rutter accused Bowlby of having confused which two terms?

Deprivation & privation

What is the difference between deprivation & privation?

• Deprivation = having formed an attachment that has subsequently been broken

• Privation = never having formed an attachment

What was the research technique that Bowlby based his results about instances of maternal deprivation on?

Interviews

What is a problem with Bowlby’s use of interviews?

• They were drew upon retrospective information which may have been susceptible to error

• For example, people may have incorrectly remembered instances of maternal deprivation & when these occurred

Whose research suggests that Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis places too much focus upon the mother & actually refuted monotropy?

Schaffer and Emerson

What did Schaffer and Emerson’s Scottish infant study find in relation to the number of attachments children have?

Children actually form multiple attachments, with most having 5 by the age of 18 months

What did Parke & Sawin find that contradicts Bowlby’s research?

Fathers are just as responsive to their infants as mothers are, so the concept of monotropy may be incorrect

Who questioned Bowlby’s concept of the critical time period?

Hodges and Tizard

What adopted age did Hodges and Tizard find could establish strong affectional relationships with adoptive parents?

7 years old

What did Hodges and Tizard show about those children who had been adopted by 7 at the age of 16 years?

The adopted children had family relationships as strong as those in biological families

What term would be better to use than critical period?

Sensitive period

Rutter’s isle of Wright study found that delinquency wasn’t always the result of deprivation but also could stem from other aspects. Give three examples

• Peer groups

• Home life

• The child’s temperament