Studies

ATTACHMENT INCLUDING DEPRIVATION, PRIVATION AND DAY CARE

Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study He wanted to discover if ‘affectionless

psychopaths’ were more likely to have had early separation from the primary caregiver

Sample – 44 teenagers (31 boys, 13 girls) plus a control group of 44 teenagers attending the clinic for emotional problems (not delinquents / criminals 34 boys, 10 girls)

Data collection included interviews with the teenagers and their mothers.

What did he find? Of 44 delinquents, 14 affectionless

psychopaths – 12 of the 14 had been separated from their main carer for more than six months in infancy. 5 of the remaining 30 had been separated for more than six months.

Of the 44 non-delinquents, 0 affectionless psychopaths – 2 of these had been separated for more than six months.

What does this suggest?

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis is supported because a greater proportion of affectionless psychopaths had been separated from their carer in the first two years of life.

Evaluation points The study was based on rich data collected from a

variety of sources . A control group was used for comparison.

However Bowlby himself suggested an additional control group

would have been a good idea – children who did not have obvious difficulties.

Only the mother was interviewed but the relationship with the father might have been important.

Separation (deprivation) was seen as the important factor rather than, say, abuse, which may have been relevant.

Hodges & Tizard (1989)

Hodges and Tizard carried out a longitudinal study of children who were put into institutional care in infancy.

Between the ages of 2 and 7, they were either adopted or returned to live with their own family.

The institutions provided adequate care but the children had many different caregivers: an average of 24 by the age of 2.

The adopted children formed close attachments to their adoptive parents by the age of 8 but this was less true of those returning to their families. The adoptive parents were keen to have a child but some of the natural parents had ambivalent feelings or had other children or financial problems.

The institutionalised children were compared with a control group who had not been in care. Parents did not report particular difficulties. Teachers, however, noted they tended to be attention-seeking, restless and disobedient.

Rutter (Romanian orphans)

English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) team with Rutter reported on 111 Romanian children raised in deprived conditions (hospitals or orphanages)

They were compared with 52 adopted children from the UK who had not suffered privation.

The Romanian children were severely affected physically and psychologically.

Once adopted

Romanian children began to catch up once adopted, particularly if adopted before 6 months old, although some difficulties remain.

Like Hodges and Tizard’s sample, the children tended to show ‘disinhibited attachment’ such as going off with strangers.

Conclusion – early experiences of privation through institutionalisation have lasting effects although some recovery is possible is adopted at a young age.

Schaffer and Emerson(1964) 60 Scottish infants Development of emotional attachments investigated Monthly interviews with mothers until the infant was

18 months old Response to being separated in different situations

including being left in a room with a stranger Attachment measured by protest if separated Attachment phases established (asocial 0-6 weeks.

Indiscriminate attachment phase 6 weeks – about 6 months, specific attachment phase, 7-9 months, multiple attachment phase from 9 months)

Day care and aggression

Jay Belsky carried out several studies to investigate the effect of day care on young children.

For example, he studied 1364 children over a period of ten years in 10 day care centres in the States. Caregivers and teachers rated the children’s behaviour.

Of the children in care for more than 30 hours per week, 17% were rated as aggressive to their peers.

Of the children in care for fewer than 10 hours per week, 6% were rated as aggressive.

From this and other studies he concluded that spending a long time in day care from an early age could make the parent-infant attachment more insecure and could make children more aggressive and less compliant.

Criticisms of his research included:

the use of the Strange Situation to test attachment and

not taking the quality of day care into account when looking at aggression.

Other research (e.g. the EPPE project) have shown that day care can be beneficial to social development providing it is high quality.

Evaluate Bowlby’s theory

Evidence against Social releasers – evidence against includes child’s

temperament (some children emit fewer social releasers)

Critical period – sensitive period a better term (Romanian orphanages)

Innate – possibly learning theory so not innate Monotropy – Schaffer & Emerson, multiple

attachments from about 9 months

Day care and aggression

Jay Belsky carried out several studies to investigate the effect of day care on young children.

For example, he studied 1364 children over a period of ten years in 10 day care centres in the States. Caregivers and teachers rated the children’s behaviour.

Of the children in care for more than 30 hours per week, 17% were rated as aggressive to their peers.

Of the children in care for fewer than 10 hours per week, 6% were rated as aggressive.

From this and other studies he concluded that spending a long time in day care from an early age could make the parent-infant attachment more insecure and could make children more aggressive and less compliant.

Criticisms of his research included:

the use of the Strange Situation to test attachment and

not taking the quality of day care into account when looking at aggression.

Other research (e.g. the EPPE project) have shown that day care can be beneficial to social development providing it is high quality.