AQA A-Level Psychology

Definitions of abnormality, including failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health

Definitions of abnormality, including statistical infrequency and deviation from social norms

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships, including the role of an internal working model

Romanian orphan studies: effects of institutionalisation

Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Cultural variations in attachment, including van IJzendoorn

Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’. Types of attachment: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant.

Explanations of attachment: Bowlby’s monotropic theory. The concepts of a critical period and an internal working model.

Explanations of attachment: learning theory

Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow