Reseqrch Into Instuitonalisation Flashcards
What is the background knowledge of the Romanian Orphan studies?
During the 1990s, horrific images of children in poor conditions in Romanian orphanages flooded the news. The former romanian president had required romanian women to have 5 children. Many parents however, would not afford their children and ended up giving them to large orphanages. These places were kept in poor conditions and kids received very little emotional care.
This situation gave the opportunity to study the effects of maternal deprivation when a child is in institutional care
What is institutionalisation?
A place like a hospital or orphanage where children love for long, continuous periods of time
Who conducted the Romanian Orphan studies?
Rutter et al
Why did Rutter conduct the romanian orphan studies?
Rutter wanted to see if the experience of privation could be overcome by sensitive care following adoption
What is privation?
Privation is when an infant has never formed an attachment in the critical period
Outline Rutter’s romanian orphan studies
Rutter had a sample size of 165 romanian orphans who had been adopted into british families. Rutter studied three groups of children: those adopted before 6 months, between 6 months and 2 years old and after the age of two
Children were monitored at the ages of 4,6,11 and 15
What were the findings of Rutter’s romanian orphan study?
Rutter found that by the age of 6, children were making good recoveries. However those who were adopted older after the age of 6 months showed signs of a disinhibited attachment style (clinginess, attention seeking and poor social behaviour)
Rutter’s research implies that there is a sensitive period in the development of attachments. Therefore, a failure to form attachments during this period can have long - lasting effects
Which psychologists did the Bucharest Early Intervention Project in 2005?
Zeanah et al
What was the aim of Zeanah et al’s prjoect?
Zeanah et al’s aim was to study attachment types
Outline the Bucharest Early Intervention Project
Zeanah et al compared 95 children in institutional care (experimental group) to 50 children who had never lived in institutional care (control group).
Their attachment types were measured using Mary Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation” methodology
What were the findings of Zeanah et al’s Bucharest Early Intervention Project?
Zeanah et al found in the control group 74% of the children had secure attachment types whereas in the institutional group only 19% of the children had secure attachment types.
What is a limitation of the research into institutionalisation? (population validity)
Research into institutionalisation is based on the romanian orphan research by Rutter. The romanian orphans were in very bad conditions when compared to the better quality institutional care provided nowadays. This means that the findings cannot be generalised to all institutions, making the research all population validity.
What is a strength of the research into institutionalisation? (ecological validity)
Research into institutionalisation has real life application, giving it ecological validity. By studying the romanian orphans, the understanding of institutions has been enhanced. This has led to improvements in the way children are cared for in institutions. For example, children’s homes now have more key workers for children. As a result, children have a chance to develop normal attachments and reduce risks of disinhibited attachments
What is a limitation of the research into institutionalisation? (correlational research)
All research conducted was correlational. The research showed a negative correlation between between adoption, intellectual and behavioural development. However, there may have been other underlying factors that could explain this link. This is because the research does not imply cause and effect
