Attachment: Rutter & The Effects of Institutionalisation 2024 - 2025

Question 1

Key Term Focus

What is meant by institutionalisation?

Answer 1

Refers to children spending a long period of time living outside of the family home within an institution, for example, an orphanage.

Question 2

AO1 Focus

Name 3 effects of institutionalisation

Answer 2

• Reactive attachment disorder
• Disinhibited attachment disorder
• Cognitive Impairment

Question 3

AO1 Focus

What is meant by reactive attachment disorder?

Answer 3

Disorder where children grow up being unable to trust, or love others - they can have a lack of remorse

Question 4

AO1 Focus

What causes reactive attachment disorder?

Answer 4

Extreme lack of responsiveness from a parent

Question 5

AO1 Focus

What is meant by disinhibited attachment?

Answer 5

A condition where children select attachment figures indiscriminately and behave in an overly familar fashion with strangers

Question 6

AO1 Focus

What causes disinhibited attachment disorder?

Answer 6

Having too many inconsistent caregivers during critical period

Question 7

AO1 Focus

What is meant by cognitive impairment?

Answer 7

Delay in intellectual development;
* Low IQ
* Problems concentrating
* Difficulty in learning new concepts

Question 8

AO2 Focus

Timmi was adopted by his British parents from Romania after growing up in an orphanage for a long time. At school his teacher comments;

“I often see Timmi walking around on his own, isolating himself from other students”

Which effect of institutionalisation may Timmi be showing, and why?

Answer 8

• Reactive attachment disorder
• As he “isolates himself” due to being unable to trust or form connections with others

Question 9

AO2 Focus

Ana was adopted by her British parents from Romania after growing up in an orphanage for a long time. At school her teacher comments;

“Ana is having a really hard time adjusting - in lessons she seems to constantly fidget and gaze out the window”

Which effect of institutionalisation may Ana be showing, and why?

Answer 9

• Cognitive impairment
• As “she seems to constantly fidget / gaze out of the window” and so struggles to concentrate

Question 10

AO2 Focus

Andrei was adopted by his British parents from Romania after growing up in an orphanage for a long time. At primary school his teacher comments;

“I can’t work out whether I’m building a connection with Andrei - he often runs up to me and holds my arm…but he seems to do that with all the teachers - even the ones he hasn’t met yet”

Which effect of institutionalisation may Andrei be showing, and why?

Answer 10

• Disinhibted attachment
• As Andrei “often runs up and holds his teachers arm…but does this with other teachers” showing he attaches indiscriminately and is overly familar with strangers

Question 11

AO1 Focus

What was the aim of Rutter’s research?

Remember an aim starts with “To investigate….”

Answer 11

To investigate whether loving and nurturing care could overturn the effects of institutionalisation

Question 12

AO1 Focus

What was Rutter’s sample?

Answer 12

111 Romanian orphans adopted into British families

Question 13

AO1 Focus

What was Rutter’s independent variable?

Answer 13

Age of adoption

Question 14

AO1 Focus

What was Rutter’s dependent variable?

Answer 14

The cognitive and emotional development

Question 15

AO1 Focus

What were the 3 groups Rutter studied?

Answer 15

1. Adopted before the age of 6 months
2. Adopted between 6 months and 2 years
3. Adopted after the age of 2 years

Question 16

AO1 Focus

How many of the 3 groups were adopted within the critical period?

Answer 16

2
1. Adopted before the age of 6 months
2. Adopted between 6 months and 2 years

Question 17

AO1 Focus

Who were the Romanian orphans compared to?

Answer 17

A control group of 52 British adopted children

Question 18

AO1 Focus

What was found during the initial assessment of the Romanian orphans?

Answer 18

50% showed signs of cognitive impairment

Question 19

AO1 Focus

What % of Romanian orphans showed signs of cognitive impairment at the initial assessment?

Answer 19

50%

Question 20

AO1 Focus

What was found by the age of 4 in the Romanian orphans?

Answer 20

• Those adopted later (2 years+) showed higher level of disinhibited attachment
• Those adopted earlier ( < 6 months) were doing as well as the British control group

Question 21

AO1 Focus

At aged 4, which group of children showed the highest level of disinhibited attachment?

Answer 21

Those who were adopted later (after 2 years)

Question 22

AO1 Focus

At aged 11, how did levels of IQ differ between the groups?

Answer 22

• Those adopted later had a lower IQ (77)
• Those adopted earlier had a ‘normal’ IQ level (102)

Question 23

AO1 Focus

What was Rutter’s conclusion regarding the effects of institutionalisation?

Answer 23

Some negative effects can be overcome by sensitive, nurturing care - especially if adoption takes place earlier

Question 24

AO3 Focus

What practical applications have been developed from research into the effects of institutionalisation?

This will form the first E of your PEEL

Answer 24

Improvements in conditions for children living outside of the family home - for example, reducing the number of caregivers so each child has one or two ‘key workers’

This will form the first E of your PEEL

Question 25

AO3 Focus

Research into institutionalisation has led to improvements in the conditions experienced by children in orphanages - such as a reduce number of caregivers, so they have more consistent ‘key workers’ assigned to them.

What effect of institutionalisation will this help reduce?

This would form part of your second E of your PEEL

Answer 25

Disinhibited attachment

This would form part of your second E of your PEEL

Question 26

AO3 Focus

Why does Rutter’s research have higher control over extraneous variables, compared to other studies?

This is often a misconception by students - who instead suggest there is low control.

Answer 26

• Previous orphan studies included children who had suffered from abuse and neglect
• whereas
• Rutter’s study included children from loving families who could not afford to keep them

Question 27

DISCUSSION Focus

Why may the study of Romanian orphanages not be representative?

This will form the first E of your PEEL

Answer 27

Because the quality of care in these institutions was extremely poor

This will form the first E of your PEEL

Question 28

AO1 / AO3 Focus

What did Zeanah et al do?

This can be used as either AO1 or AO3

This will form the first E of your PEEL

Answer 28

Assess the attachment type of Romanian orphans using the strange situation

This can be used as either AO1 or AO3

This will form the first E of your PEEL

Question 29

AO1 / AO3 Focus

What did Zeanah et al find?

This can be used as either AO1 or AO3

This would form the second E of your PEEL

Answer 29

• 44% of the institutionalised children showed signs of disinhibited attachment
• Compared to only 20% of the control group

This can be used as either AO1 or AO3

This would form the second E of your PEEL

Question 30

AO1 / AO3 Focus

What did Zeanah et al. conclude?

This can be used as either AO1 or AO3

This would form the second E of your PEEL

Answer 30

Being in an institution can have negative effects on psychological development

This can be used as either AO1 or AO3

This would form the second E of your PEEL