Evaluation

Cards (4)

  • What is a weakness of Bowlby's maternal deprivation?
    The study cannot establish casual relationships as the findings were correlational. This is a weakness as it means that other factors could have caused the teens to become thieves.
  • What is a weakness of Bowlby's maternal deprivation?
    The study uses retrospective, self-report data. This is a weakness as teenagers could have emphasised the blame on their parents (not reliable). The parents could have also down-played issues (not reliable).
  • What is a weakness of Bowlby's maternal deprivation?
    The study suffered researcher bias. Bowlby was looking to prove his theory, therefore he may have had a bias when it came to the interviews. He may have been more strict with how he assessed the 'thieves' and saying little details that suggest psychopathy. He could push the interview in a certain direction.
  • What is a strength of Bowlby's maternal deprivation?
    It has real life influence. For example, in hospitals kids are now allowed to stay with their parents to prevent maternal deprivation.