Privation (Bulldogs Bank)

Question 1

Who were the Bulldogs bank children? (who/sample, their story)

Answer 1

Group of 6 Jewish orphans, all had been separated and parents had been deported to Poland and killed in concentration camps during the holocaust.

They were placed in a ‘ward for motherless children’ and had been cared for by the inmates, but there had been no toys and limited space.

This meant that they struggled to form attachments as the care was infrequent and the nature of the environment made it difficult too.

They were then moved to ‘Bulldogs Bank’ in October 1945.

Question 2

What happened in the Bulldogs Bank study? (clinic, behaviour, toys, change in behaviour)

Answer 2

• At 3 years old, the children were seen by a clinic for treatment for the conditions in which they were raised.
• Initially, the children showed aggressive behaviour towards staff and would only turn to the adults for their own needs.
• The children were reported to not know what toys were for, and would destroy them as a result. They would also hit or spit at adults who attempted to restrict their movements or behaviour.
• However, from early 1946, their relationships with adults changed and they became noticeably interested when they were absent and began to identify with the adults.

Question 3

What were the key findings of the Bulldogs Bank study? (attachment, how attached were they, behaviour with fosters)

Answer 3

• The 6 children showed that, after being together in different environments, they stayed attached and bonded to each other throughout.
• The staff noted that it was impossible to treat them as individuals due to their ‘tight-knit’ connection to each other; if one child went out for a walk, the others would have to as well.
• The staff were always consistently available, so the 6 children got a feel for limited adult attachment. The fact the staff were also sensitive to the children’s needs also contributed towards this.
• On later follow ups with foster families the children had made good progress and coping better with adult relationships.

Question 4

What were the conclusions of the Bulldogs Bank study? (how to reduce effects of privation, this is shown by, privation may be the reason for …..)

Answer 4

• Came to the conclusion that negative effects of privation from a caregiver may be reduced by attachment to peers.
• This is shown as the 6 children were very much bonded to each other, and even after their rough upbringing, the negative effects of privation seemed to have been mostly reduced.
• They also found that very young children can develop a very strong sense of fairness as shown in the children when they would share the leadership throughout the group.
• Their research also shows that children with severe behavioural difficulties may be a sign of privation and no underlying psychotic issues.

Question 5

What a strength of the Bulldogs Bank study? (hint: it was real)

Answer 5

It was based on real experiences, it has high validity. This experience could not be set up due to ethics, so it is a valuable way of understanding privation.

Question 6

What a weakness of the Bulldogs Bank study? (hint: was it privation?)

Answer 6

It could be questioned whether these children actually experienced privation as they always had each other.