debates

• Purposes


  • NHS recommends children be breastfed for first 6 months - BF protects from obesity, disease and infections
  • BF releases oxytocin which increases the bond between M and C
  • Freud suggests BF satisfies the baby's libido and without BF, the C could face fixation later in life causing neediness, smoking, envy
  • Only the mother can BF therefore fathers are limited to a supporting role
  • Food != love
  • Harlow (1959) infant monkeys spent 80% with cloth mother over the food mother suggesting contact comfort is what creates comfort, not food. Meaning anyone can take this role
  • Freud 's views are outdated with little scientific credibility
  • Anyone can take the role of comforting, caring and responding to a child
• Children of mothers working full-time


  Had slower emotional development, lower scores in reading and maths tests, and reduced chances of progressing to college. Father's work had no impact
• Bowlby found children who suffered MS due to tuberculosis had few problems later in life
• McGinn daughters of working mothers enjoy better careers, higher pay and more equal relationships compared to stay at home mothers. They are also paid 4% more than peers.
• Children develop well despite maternal separation and the PCG role isn't just for the mother.
• Heerman et al ('94) found men are less sensitive to infant cues
• Men are socialised to be less sensitive and nurturing as these are feminine traits
• This argument is sexist and ignores the role fathers play
• Gettler et al found father testosterone levels drop to help better respond to their child
• Geiger said fathers are important for physical play and as a challenge
• Same sex marriages and single fathers can form close attachments to their child
• In the AKA tribe, men take on a caregiving role and are every bit as respondent to needs
• Gill encouraged chore completion using pocket money (positive reinforcement). Concluded conditioning was successful as children completed up to 20% of household chores.
• Morris claims the naughty step is negative for a child's wellbeing as it restricts them from expressing their emotions or explaining why they are upset.
• Making conditioning techniques more damaging than helpful.
• Mcallister et al (1969) found increased use of teacher praise and disapproval lead to reduced inappropriate talking. There was no decrease in the control group
• Lepper et al asked children to make a nice drawing and when they were promised a reward, they spent half as much time as the condition that didn't receive a reward, suggesting operant conditioning actually destroys motivation for children.
• Lewis observed Japanese schools and found conditioning was rarely used and children were internally motivated. Japan is ranked 4th for science and reading compared to the UK and USA at 20th and 23rd
• Dweck argued children who were praised after a test did worse on the next one and those called lazy performed better
• Which can enable children with ASD to better contribute to society and improve their quality of life
• ABA could cause Psych harm. There's evidence of PTSD in those who underwent ABA . nearly half of the 460 respondents exhibited symptoms. The therapy studied forces eye contact and working for hours at the same table, using punishment and reinforcement to alter behaviour
• However, more research must be done into this to establish a clear link
• Loftus and Zanni 7% asked "did you see a broken headlight" reported seeing one while 17% did when asked "did you see the broken headlight" group
• Studies like L+ P's have low external validity as they aren't based on real events, they were in a lab.
• Loftus (1979) showed ppts slides of a man stealing a purse and gave them misleading info. However, 98% remembered the purse colour correctly as red despite misleading info to suggest it was brown.
• Johnson + Scott invited ppts to a lab and while they were waiting they either heard about failing equipment and seeing a confederate with greasy hair or they heard a heated exchange and the sound of broken glass followed by a confederate holding a bloodied letter opener. Both groups were shown 50 photographs and asked to identify the man they saw and 49% of the knife condition were correct and 33% of the other were correct.
• Yuille and cutshall found eyewitnesses to a real life armed robbery (an armed robber stole guns and the thief and shop owner exchanged 8 shots until the thief was killed)and had an accurate recollection of the event 4 months later despite leading questions. The ppts were not too focused on the weapon into the extent that they had no recollection of anything else
• Briere and Conte in a sample of 267 adults who were abused, 59% could identify times in their childhood when they had no recollection of abuse occurring.
• Some argue that when we experience emotionally shocking events, we create a very accurate and long lasting memory of it ( flashbulb memory )
• hormones such as adrenaline have evidence to suggest
• Heard a heated exchange and the sound of broken glass followed by a confederate holding a bloodied letter opener
• Both groups were shown 50 photographs and asked to identify the man they saw
• 49% of the knife condition were correct and 33% of the other were correct
• Weapon focus effect


  The anxiety caused when witnessing a weapon
• Yuille and cutshall found eyewitnesses to a real life armed robbery had an accurate recollection of the event 4 months later despite leading questions
• The participants were not too focused on the weapon to the extent that they had no recollection of anything else
• Repression


  Traumatic events from witnessing traumatising events will be repressed by the unconscious mind
• In a sample of 267 adults who were abused, 59% could identify times in their childhood when they had no recollection of abuse occurring
• Flashbulb memory


  Accurate and long lasting memory of emotionally shocking events
• Hormones such as adrenaline have evidence to suggest that they improve storage of memory