Adoption Study Heston 1966 Flashcards
aim of heston 1966
how many adopted children of biological mothers with SZ would go on to develop it
sample of heston 1966
- 50 adoptees with diagnosed SZ mothers, matched to 47 adoptees with non-SZ mothers
- all from Oregon state
- all separated within days of birth and contacted by letter for study
procedure of heston 1966
- adults were interviewed in their homes via a general medical and environmental questionnaire to assess whether they had developed SZ
- they were then given the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
- they were evaluated blindly and independently by 2 psychiatrists and a final evaluation was made by a 3rd researcher
results of heston 1966
- out of those interviewed, 5 had been hospitalised with SZ
- 3 of these were chronically ill
-thus 10% of the adopted children of SZ mothers developed SZ
conclusions of heston 1966
genetics do play some role in the onset and development of SZ
generalisability of heston 1966
Low
- narrow sample of 47 adopted ppts from Oregon state
- ethnocentric so can’t be generalised to other cultures
- only studied SZ so can’t be generalised to genetic/environmental roles in other mental disorders/behaviours
reliability of heston 1966
High
- used a standardised procedure of structured interviews
- this allows for the study to be replicated to test for consistency of findings
validity of heston 1966
Low
- self-report data was used from interviewing ppts which is subjective and can lead to biased results
High
- high ecological validity as ppts were interviewed at their homes
- meant that ppts were less likely to present demand characteristics and felt slightly more at ease
ethics of heston 1966
Fair
- informed consent was obtained as ppts were contacted by letter asking if they wanted to take part
Low
- some questions may have caused stress as it was very personal, highly socially sensitive
applications of heston 1966
can assist with treatments for SZ
- if we know there is a genetic component we can develop drugs or therapies that prioritise the idea of rehabilitation or epigenetics
