attachment - Institutionalisation

Question 1

Describe Rutter’s Romanian orphanage study

Answer 1

• 2011
• Followed 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain to test to what extent good care could make up for poor early experiences.
• Physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed at 4, 6, 11 and 15.
• Group of 52 British children adopted at same time acted as control.

Question 2

Evaluate Rutter’s study - confounding variables

Answer 2

Children in Romanian orphanages study did not experience confounding participant variables, such as abuse, neglect or bereavement before being institutionalised.
So increased internal validity.

Question 3

What is disinhibited attachment?

Answer 3

Typical affect of spending time in an institution.
Equally friendly towards people they know and people they just met.
Rutter said it is an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during sensitive period of attachment formation.

Question 4

Evaluate Rutter’s study - real-life application

Answer 4

We have a better understanding of the effects of Institutionalization. This understanding has lead to improvements to how children are cared for. For example, having a defined number of caregivers, instead of a large rotated amount.

Question 5

Evaluate Rutter’s study - real life application

Answer 5

Studying the Romanian orphans has enhanced our understanding of effects of institutionalisation.
Results have lead to improvements of how children are cared for in institutions.
For example, orphanages now no longer have 50 caregivers per child, now usually one or two, which helps children have chance of developing normal attachment.
Shows research has been valuable in practical terms.

Question 6

What were the findings of Rutter’s orphanage study?

Answer 6

When arrived in UK - half adoptees showed a sign of delayed intellectual development, and were undernourished.

At 11 - mean IQ:
Adopted before 6 months = 102.
6 months - 2 years = 86.
After 2 years = 77.
Differences remained at 16.

Children adopted after 6 months showed signs of disinhibited attachment e.g. were clingy and attention seeking towards all adults.
Before 6 months rarely displayed disinhibited attachment.

Question 7

Evaluate Rutter’s study - conditions

Answer 7

It is possible to conclude that the conditions in Romanian orphanages were so bad, the results cannot be generalised to other institutions where children experience deprivation e.g. a children’s hospital in the UK. This is because the Romanian orphanages have extremely low levels of intellectual stimulation and an extreme number of carers.
Therefore, because of these unusual situational variables, the results may not be able to be generalised to other institutions.

Question 8

List the effects of institutionalisation

Answer 8

Disinhibited attachment

Quasi autism - persistent social difficulties and repetitive behaviours.

Mental retardation - 102, 86 (after 6 months) 77 (after 2 years) IQ

Question 9

What is meant by privation?

Answer 9

When a child has no opportunity to form a relationship with a parent figure - this is what happened to the Romanian orphans.