Effects Of Institutionalisation

Question 1

What are orphan studies good for?

Answer 1

Research into maternal deprivation as a consequence of institutionalisation

Question 2

Out line Rutgers ERA study

Answer 2

1. Followed group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted to Britain to measure what extent good care could make up for poor early experience in an institution
2. Physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed betwwen 4-15 years
3. British adoptees served as control

Question 3

What were the cognitive findings of ERA

Answer 3

1. When first in UK half showed delayed intellectual development
2. At 11
3. IQ of those adopted before 6 months was highest around 100 and those after 2 years was lowest around 77
4. Differences maintained at 16

Question 4

What were the attachment findings for ERA

Answer 4

Those adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment, those before 6 months did not

Question 5

What are the symptoms of disinhibited attachment

Answer 5

1. Attention seeking
2. Clinginess
3. Social behaviour Directed indiscriminately towards both familiar and unfamiliar adults

Question 6

Outline the procedure of the Bucharest Intervention project

Answer 6

Zeanah et al. (2005)

1. Assessed attachment using the strange situation of 95 children aged 1-3 years who had spent most of their lives in institutional care
2. Compared to a control group who had never lived in an institution
3. Carers also asked about usual social behaviour (signs of disinhibited attachment)

Question 7

What were the findings of the Bucharest Early intervention Project

Answer 7

1. In strange situation control group 75% securely attached compared to 20% of institution group
2. 65% disorganised attachment
3. 45% disinhibited attachment, control less than 20%

Question 8

What are the two main effects of institutionalisation

Answer 8

1. Disinhibited attachment

2. Mental retardation

Question 9

What is the cause of disinhibited attachment?

Answer 9

Rutter (2006)

Result of living with multiple caregivers during sensitive period

Question 10

Describe mental retardation

Answer 10

1. In Rutgers study most children showed signs of retardation when arrived in UK
2. Those adopted before 6 months caught up by age of 4

Question 11

Real life application

Answer 11

1. Enhanced our understanding of effects of institutionalisation
2. Led to improvements in child care in institutions
3. Avoid having a large number of care givers and instead just one or two people play a central role, called a key worker
4. Gives children a chance to develop normal attachments

Question 12

Fewer extraneous variables

Answer 12

1. Before this study’s into institutions involved children who had experienced loss or trauma before
2. So hard to tell if effects due to institution as children dealing with multiple factors that could affect attachment
3. Confounding participant variables
4. Romain studies don’t have these so higher interval validity

Question 13

Orphans not typical

Answer 13

1. Children had really bad care when it came to forming relationships
2. No intellectual stimulation
3. Results may not apply to better quality institutional care or just deprivation
4. Unusual situational variables means study’s lack generalisability

Question 14

Ethical/ methodological issues

Answer 14

1. ERA children not randomly assigned to conditions
2. Didn’t interfere with adoption process meaning those adopted early may have been more sociable ones (confounding variable)
3. Bucharest did randomly allocate to other institution or foster care
4. Removes confounding variable but unethical