pysch classic research - comp 1

• When analysing markets, a range of assumptions are made about the rationality of economic agents involved in the transactions
• The Wealth of Nations was written

  1776
• Rational


  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Producers act rationally by


  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by


  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by


  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Groups assumed to act rationally


  • Consumers
  • Producers
  • Workers
  • Governments
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• A firm increases advertising


  Demand curve shifts right
• Demand curve shifting right

  Increases the equilibrium price and quantity
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• The group consisting of Thieves however consisted of 31 boys and 13 girls where stealing was either a serious or transitory problem
• Over half had not been convicted due to their age
• They were referred to the Child Guidance Clinic in London
• Half the cases were serious and chronic thefts of grade four
• 10 were persistent but mild thieving grade three
• A few had mild low numbers of cases of theft so grade two
• One had stolen once being grade one
• IQ scores


  • 50% had an IQ's of 85 to 114
  • 15 with a higher IQ
  • 2 with an IQ below 85
• The control group were from the same clinic but had not stolen and were matched with the thieving group based on economic circumstances intelligence age and sex
• Procedures


  1. Children were given mental tests to test intelligence

  2. Their emotional attitude towards it was noted by the psychiatrist

  3. A social worker collocated a preliminary psychiatric history of the patient

  4. Reports were made by both psychologist and social worker

  5. This was reported to the psychiatrist who interviewed the mother

  6. A 2-hour examination given by the psychiatrist followed to the mother and child

  7. A case Conference was held where information under Impressions were pulled with school and other reports to form a provisional diagnosis

  8. Psychotherapy was given to the children whilst the mother talked out issues with a social worker

  9. This usually lasted 6 months or over in most cases
• Categories created by Balby


  • Normal
  • Depressed
  • Circular
  • Hypmic
  • Affectionless
  • Schizoid
• Two children were clusters normal being children who were reasonably stable
• Nine children were clusters depressed being unstable children who now had a depressed state of mind
• Two children were diagnosed with being circular so these were children who alternated between overactivity and depression
• 13 children were described as hypmic so children who were always overactive
• 14 children were described as affectionless so these children were described as children characterized by being void of emotion shame or guilt
• Four children were described as being a schizoid so children characterized by having symptoms of this disorder
• Two out of 44 thieves were classes normal they did not lead normal lives at home many were unwanted and their fathers boasted hostility towards them directly they also expressed instability
• 40% of Thieves had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers compared to 5% of the control group
• Prolonged separation was defined as more than 6 months
• Of the 14 affectionless characters 12 so 86% had expressed prolonged separation from their mothers in the first 5 years of their life
• While mother's child separation accounted for 17 out of the 44 cases it did not account for the remaining 27 however they had hostile home environments which included openly hostile fathers and anxious and unstable mothers
• Five out of the 27 cases had fathers that were hostile and expressed that they were not wanted
• Of the 23 grade 4 consistant thieves 13 of them were doed affectionless Psychopaths
• Of the 19 who suffered prolonged separation 12 of them were persistent thieves
• This study supports the general psychiatric notion that the early years of childhood development are crucial
• Juvenile crime is just as much of a social and economic issue as it is psychological
• If all who were involved in the Pediatric development of the child were brought to light with the effects of prolonged maternal separation then a superior effort could have been made to avoid many cases of juvenile criminal activity
• Balby also subscribed to the psychoanalytic so psychodynamic view that early experiences are of vital importance in later development