Leo is 6 years old. His primary school teachers have noticed that he struggles to form friendships, showing little interest in his peers and often demonstrating a lack of empathy or remorse when he upsets them. He also becomes extremely distressed and clings to his mother when dropped off at school, finding it very difficult to cope with separations.
During his infancy, Leo lived with his mother until he was 15 months old, at which point she was hospitalized for 5 months due to an illness. During this period, Leo was cared for by a succession of temporary foster carers. Since returning to his mother's care, he has spent 50 hours a week in a local day nursery where there has been a high turnover of staff.
Discuss how Leo's early care experiences may have affected his development and current behaviour. You must make reference to Bowlby's work on attachment in your answer.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Biological explanations of crime, Social explanations of crime, Cognitive and ethical interview techniques, Psychological formulation of offending, Cognitive-behavioural treatment for offenders, Biological treatment for offenders, Factors influencing eye-witness testimony, Factors influencing jury decision-making, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
