Romainian orphans study

Question 1

effect of institutionalization:

what is disinhibited attachment?

Answer 1

• the child is equally friendly towards loved ones and strangers
• may be an adaptation of multiple attachment

Question 2

effects of institutionalization:

what is damage to intellectual development?

Answer 2

• institutionalized children often show mental retardation

- this effect not as pronounced if the children are adopted before 6 months

Question 3

Rutter et al (2011) English and Romanian adoptees:

what was the procedure?

Answer 3

• rutter et al study 165 romainain orphans sent to UK for adoption
• longitudinal study to see how care make up for bad experience
• physical, emotional, cognitive development assessed at 4,6,11,15years
• a control group of 52 British adoptees

Question 4

Rutter et al (2011) English and Romanian adoptees:

What were the findings?

Answer 4

• 50% of orphans show mental retardation
• at age 11 recovery related to the age of adoption
  >6 months = 102 IQ
  6 months - 2 years = 86 IQ

Question 5

Rutter et al (2011) English and Romanian adoptees:

What was the conclusion?

Answer 5

• the frequency of disinhibited attachment relates to the age of adoption
• adopted after 6 months = clingy and attention seeking
• shows there’s a sensitive period

Question 6

positve evaluation:

improtant practical applications

Answer 6

• may have led to improvements in institutionalization care (Langton 2006)
• children’s homes now don’t have large numbers and have one or 2 “key workers”
• gives children a chance to develop normal attachments and avoid disinhibited attachment

Question 7

positive evaluation:

the study has fewer confounding variables than other research

Answer 7

• many studies before but involved children who had trauma and loss in their lives
• neglect, abuse, and bereavement made it hard to observe effects of institutionalization - the children were affected by multiple confounding variables
• increased internal validity because less confounding variables as most were abandoned at birth

Question 8

negative evaluation:

may be issues with generalization in Romanian study

Answer 8

• conditions of the orphanage were so bad the effects may not apply to institutional care or deprivation
• Romanian oorphanshad particular poor care, espeically when forming relationships
• unusual situational vairbles mena study lack generalisability