Institutionalisation

Question 1

Define institutionalisation

Answer 1

The social, mental and physical effects of living in an institutional setting (eg. Hospital or orphanage)

Question 2

Name two orphan studies which investigate the effects of institutionalisation

Answer 2

1. Rutter’s ERA study (2011)
2. The Bucharest Early Intervention project (2005)- Zeenah et al.

Question 3

What are the four effects of institutionalisation

Answer 3

1. Mental retardation (low IQ)
2. Disinhibited attachment (form of insecure attachment- child is equally friendly towards strangers)
3. Physical underdevelopment (dwarfism)
4. Poor parenting (eg. Harlow’s monkeys)

Question 4

What was the procedure and findings of Rutter’s ERA study

Answer 4

• longitudinal, natural experiment
• followed group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain
• physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed at 4, 6, 11 and 15
• group of 52 British children adopted at similar times= control group
• found that those adopted before 6 months: IQ= 102
• those adopted between 6 months and 2 years: IQ= 86
• those adopted after 2 years: IQ= 77
• those adopted after 6 months= disinhibited attachment
• those adopted before 6 months= rarely showed disinhibited attachment

Question 5

What is the conclusion form Rutter’s study

Answer 5

Intellectual development that is damaged can be recovered provided that adoption takes place before 6 months.

Question 6

What was the procedure and findings of The Bucharest Early Project- Zeenah at al. (2005)

Answer 6

• had experimental and control group.
• experimental group= 95 children between 12 and 31 months who had spend most of early lives in institutional care.
• control group= 50 children who never experienced institutional care
• attachment type of both groups tested using strange situation and carers asked for behavioural characteristics of children (eg. Clinginess)
• found that 74% of control group= securely attached
• found that 65% of institutional group= disorganised attachment/44%= disinhibited attachment

Question 7

What is the study that supports the idea that institutionalisation can lead to poor parenting

Answer 7

Harlow’s monkeys