Institutionalisaton & Romanian Orphans

Question 1

What is privation?

Answer 1

Never forming an attachment, occurs when children are completely deprived of emotional care

Question 2

What does privation lead to?

Answer 2

Serious permanent harm to emotional, social and sometimes physical development

Question 3

What is institutional care?

Answer 3

An institution is a place dedicated to a particular task, such as looking after children awaiting adoption, children live here for long periods of time with strict regiments and little emotional care

Question 4

What did Rutter aim to do?

Answer 4

Investigate long term effects of institutionalised privation for children in a Romanian orphanage

Question 5

What was Rutter’s procedure?

Answer 5

A group of Romanian orphans who has experienced privation were compared with UK adoptees. The Romanian orphans were placed at the orphanage between 1 and 2 weeks old and conditions were very poor

Question 6

What were the 3 research groups?

Answer 6

• 58 babies who had been adopted before 6 months
• 59 babies who had been adopted between 6 and 24 months
• 52 UK infants adopted at around the same time

Question 7

What did Rutter find?

Answer 7

At age 6 there was evidence of disinhibited attachment in many orphans, some children were filled up at age 11 and found in many that the disinhibited behaviour pattern has persisted

Question 8

What did Rutter find about IQ?

Answer 8

• The IQ of those adopted before 6 months was 86
• Those adopted between 6 months and 2 years IQ was 77

Question 9

What was Rutter’s convulsion?

Answer 9

Disinhibited behaviour was lost common in the late Romanian adopted group and rarest in the UK adoptees. Disinhibited attachments are more likely in children who have experienced long periods in institutions

Question 10

What are 3 evaluation points?

Answer 10

• Longitudinal study: detailed information
• May not be the same for other children
• Other extraneous variables