4.1.3e - Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation

Friday 7th June ‘24

What were some of the strengths and weaknesses of the 44 thieves study?

• Cannot establish causal relationships as findings were correlational.

  • Additional factors could lead to the presentation of results, such as the reason for the separation ie domestic violence.

• The study uses retroactive self-report data.

  • Reduced internal validity as participant variables could play a role into whether they are able to accurately and truthfully recall past experiences. Acts as confounding variable.

  • Potential for variable interpretation between individuals, difficult to quantify the qualitative findings.