Effects of institutionalisation

Question 1

Effects of institutionalisation

Answer 1

Physical underdevelopment - physically small, lack of emotional care can lead to deprivation dwarfism
Intellectual under functioning - cognitive development
Disinhibited attachment - attention seeking behaviour towards all adults, low stranger anxiety and inappropriate physical contact with adults

Question 2

Romanian orphanages

Answer 2

Romanian adults encouraged to have children but could not care for them. Placed in orphanages with poor quality care
These orphans studies by psychologists when they came to Britain as an example of institutionalisation

Question 3

Rutter - procedure

Answer 3

Natural experiment in the UK
52 UK children adopted before 6 months (control group)
144 Romanian children adopted from before 6 months - 4 years old
Followed up at the ages 4, 6 and 11
Studied their physical make-up, IQ and attachment type

Question 4

Rutter - findings and conclusion

Answer 4

Mean IQ of 116 for UK children
Mean IQ of 88 for Romanian adoptees
2 UK children had a disinhibited attachment
22.4% of the Romanian adoptees had a disinhibited attachent
Suggests, institutionalisation in Romanian orphanages can cause mental retardation and disinhibited attachment types

Question 5

Rutter - evaluation

Answer 5

High mundane realism - natural study

Participant attrition is likely as its a longitudinal study so conditions may change and people may have to drop out

Question 6

Zeanah - procedure

Answer 6

Used strange situation to asses attachment type
95 children aged 12-31 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care
50 children who had never lived in an institution (control group)

Question 7

Zeanah - findings and conclusion

Answer 7

74% of the control group securely attached
19% of institutionalised group securely attached
Less than 20% of control group had disinhibited attachment compared to 44% of the institutionalised group
Suggest institutionalisation can inhibit the formation of secure attachments

Question 8

Zeanah - evaluation

Answer 8

Low control - can’t control or completely understand the conditions in the institution, only see the outcome
Ethical issues - young children can’t consent to the study and being put in stressful situations