A10. Effects of Institutionalisation Flashcards
Hodges and Tizard
Aim: observe effects of institutionalisation on attachment and quality
Procedure: 65 British children tracked (early life to adolescence) . Institutionalised at 4 months old (no attachments)
- caretakers told NOT to attach. 70% of children described as ‘not caring deeply about anyone’
- assessed at regular intervals up to 16
- some children had either left, been adopted, or restored to their original families.
Hodges and Tizard Findings
- 70% = example of early emotional privation (LACK OF attachment, instead of DISRUPTION of attachments)
- ‘adopted’ children still had good attachments
- ‘restored’ children reported fewer good attachments
- children in institutional care had the most difficulty; this persisted into adolescence: relationship issues, lower self-esteem, more emotional difficulties.
- THEREFORE; suggests early privation had negative effects on relationship formation, even with good subsequent care; supports MD theory
Romanian Orphan Studies (Rutter et al)
Aim: investigate institutionalisation effects on 165 Romanian orphans
Procedure: 165 orphans, assessed at 4, 6, and 11 (psychological, physical and emotional development)
- result compared to 50 British children adopted at a similar time (control group)
Romanian Orphan Studies Findings
- majority malnourished
- mean IQ dependant upon age adopted: those adopted at 6 months had an IQ 25 points higher than those adopted at 2 years old; those adopted after 2 months displayed disinhibited attachment (seen through attention-seeking and affectionate behaviour towards any/all adults) as a result of having too many caregivers in critical period, in contrast to those adopted before 6 months.
- THEREFORE, age at which orphans are adopted is directly related to their recovery. Full recovery made if adopted <6 months.
- Eval: RUT: focus only on short term recovery, rather than long-term effects
- e.g. just because a child that was adopted aged 3, doesn’t exhibit normal intellectual development aged 4, doesn’t mean that the child has an intellectual disability, or that they won’t achieve normal development later on in life.
- THEREFORE, to increase validity of conclusions, it would’ve been better to carry studies out over longer timeframe
- Eval: RUT: very low eco-validity
- conditions of Romanian orphanages were especially poor (didn’t provide any intellectual stimulation for orphans, which may have had a larger developmental impact than MD)
- Cases of abuse also frequently reported
- Since orphanages would usually have considerably better conditions, these findings have very low eco-validity
Attachment Disorder
- disruptions in attachment in early childhood affects social and emotional development
- children with AD have: no preferred attachment figure; an inability to relate to others (evident before 5 years old); and experience severe neglect, or a frequent change of caregivers
Types of Attachment Disorders
- Reactive / Inhibited: shy and withdrawn, unable to cope with most social situations
- Disinhibited: over-friendly and attention-seeking
