- The Strange Situation has been developed from Bowlby’s theory of attachment, including the evolutionary basis of attachment. Evaluate Bowlby’s theory of attachment (5)
Bowlby’s theory of attachment could be said to be nomathetic in that it views everyone as being the same, especially with the idea that there is a sensitive period – the child must form an attachment before the age of 2 or it is no longer possible – as not every child will form the attachment at exactly the same time, it is difficult to know when to draw the line. However, Bowlby’s theory does have many supporting studies, for example his study with the Robertson’s which demonstrated the need for a secure attachment with the primary caregiver. It has also had good real life application in maternity hospitals, and has improved the way in which mothers and their babies are treated, although it does not take into account the need for a relationship between father and child, focusing mainly on the mother. There has also been contradictory evidence which suggests that children form multiple attachments, both with their mother and father and school teachers, etc.
A2.
- Describe one study that examines the effects of family reordering (5)
One study that examines the effects of family reordering is Cockett and Tripp’s study. In the study they interviewed three groups of children, one group was children from re-ordered families, in which the child no longer lived with one (or both) biological parents; the second group consisted of children from families suffering serious discord, but which were still intact, and the third group was a control group of children from intact families suffering no discord. The children were interviewed and assessed on their academic success, emotional well-being, cognitive development and behaviour. The researchers found that the children from families suffering discord were the worst performers academically and their overall social and cognitive development was the worst, whereas children from re-ordered families seemed to have adjusted quite well to the change, although very few admitted that they were expecting the split. The children from families suffering no discord performed better overall, suggesting that it is in fact discord and not family reordering that causes problems in childhood.
- Evaluate one study that examines the effects of family reordering. Identify the study you are evaluating (4)
Cockett and Tripp’s study into the effects of family reordering used a relatively small sample size, making it hard for the results to be generalised to the rest of the target population. However, it has a further piece of supporting evidence from Jekeilek, and from Fergusson. The study was based on self-report methods, and there may have been some participant bias because of this, since the participants could have intentionally or unintentionally deceived the researchers. Also, the study assumes that everyone is the same, when in fact some children in families with discord may cope very well, whereas some children may have problems even without discord – it is not clear whether it is the discord or other extraneous variables that cause the variations in cognitive and social abilities. Therefore, the study overall lacks reliability.
- Suggest how parents might prepare their child for family reordering (e.g. separation, divorce, step-family) (3)
If parents are planning to separate or divorce, a good idea may be to warn children in advance, and not keep any details secret from them, so that the child knows exactly what is going on and can prepare for what’s going to happen. In the case of step-families, the child should be fully aware of any details and be made aware that they will still see their biological mother/father, to avoid any further distress. If discord is present in the family at the time of separation, the child can be made to understand that separation will end the arguments, and this way less distress could be caused.
A3. Describe and evaluate research into popularity of individual children (12)
- Dodge et al – observed 5 year olds in a school playground to see whether there are behavioural differences in children. Observed in pairs, and then third child would be observed as they tried to join in the games. Popular children = watched, then made comments and were gradually accepted. Rejected = generally too shy to comment and join in, stood and watched. Neglected = disruptive, naughty and shunned by other children. Conclusion = behavioural differences are present in children.
- Evaluation = Issue of self-fulfilling prophecy – children may be unpopular because they are assumed to be, because they’re shy etc. Can’t generalise, only one playground of 5 years olds. Also ethnocentric, popularity and behaviour may be different in other cultures. High ecological validity – naturalistic experiment. Few demand characteristics as children very young. Because of SFP could be an issue with ethics? Could cause upset in children because they are shunned by others.
