ATTACH - 9 - Maternal Deprivation

According to Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis, what is the critical period for forming attachments?

• Before 2.5 years
• Before 1 year
• Before 6 months
• Before 5 years

What is affectionless psychopathy according to Bowlby?

• An inability to show affection or concern for others, acting impulsively without guilt.
• A condition where children become overly dependent on their mothers.
• A temporary emotional disorder caused by separation from the mother.
• An intense bond with the caregiver that hinders independence.

What was the aim of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study?

• To see if early separations from the primary caregiver were linked to behavioral disorders.
• To assess how deprivation affected intellectual development.
• To investigate how siblings affect attachment.
• To explore the effects of food provision on attachment.

What percentage of the 44 thieves identified as affectionless psychopaths had experienced early deprivation?

• 0.86
• 0.17
• 0.5
• 0.04

What is a limitation of the 44 thieves study in terms of reliability?

• Replication by Lewis (1944) found no link between early deprivation and later criminal behavior.
• The study did not have enough participants to draw conclusions.
• The children in the control group had experienced deprivation.
• The study relied too much on the children’s opinions.

What did Rutter argue about the difference between privation and deprivation?

• Privation is the complete lack of attachment, while deprivation refers to the loss of an established attachment.
• Deprivation is the same as privation.
• Deprivation occurs only in infancy, while privation occurs in adulthood.
• Privation is less damaging than deprivation.

How did Barrett (1997) challenge Bowlby’s theory?

• He found that securely attached children were more resistant to the negative effects of deprivation.
• He showed that all children are equally affected by deprivation.
• He proved that maternal deprivation has no long-term consequences.
• He found that insecurely attached children are unaffected by deprivation.

What case study is often used to support Bowlby’s idea of irreversible damage from maternal deprivation?

• Genie, who suffered severe neglect and never reached normal cognitive or emotional development.
• Harlow’s monkeys, who showed no signs of attachment.
• Schaffer and Emerson’s infants, who formed multiple attachments.
• The Romanian orphans, who recovered fully after adoption.

How has Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis influenced hospital practices?

• Hospitals now allow family members to stay with children to provide emotional care.
• Hospitals no longer allow any visits to ensure children bond with their caregivers.
• Hospitals encourage short separations to build resilience.
• Hospitals do not allow parental contact to minimize infection risks.

What is a key methodological limitation of the 44 thieves study?

• It relied on retrospective self-reports, which could be affected by memory inaccuracies and social desirability bias.
• The children were too young to understand the study.
• It only focused on boys.
• The study was conducted over too short a time period.