Roman Orphan Studies: Institutionalisation

Question 1

roman orphan studies: institutionalisation- research (procedure)

Answer 1

rutter et al followed a group of 165 romanian orphans for many years as apart of the english and romanian adoptee study. the orphans had been adopted by families in the uk. the aim of the ERA has been to investigate the extent to which good care could make up for poor early experiences in instituations. physical, cognitive and emotional development has been assessed at ages 4,6,11,15 and 22-25 years. a group of 52 children from the uk adopted around the same time have served as a control group

Question 2

rutter et al’s research findings

Answer 2

when they first arrived in the uk, half the adoptees showed signs of delayed intellectual development and majority were severely malnourished. at age 11 theyshowed defferential rates of recovery that were related to their age of adoption. the mean IQ of those children adopted before the age of six months was 102, compred to 86 for those adopted between six months and 2 years. these differences remained until the age of 16. in terms of attachment, those children that were adopte after they were 6 months showed siigns of a particular attachment style called disinhibited attachment. symptoms included attention-seeking, clinginessand social behaviour directed indiscriminantely towards all adults, both familiar and unfamiliar. in contrast, those children adopted before the age of 6 months rarely displayed disinhibited attachment.

Question 3

Zeanah et al.’s research (procedure)

Answer 3

conducted the bucharest early intervention (BEI) project, assessing attachment to 95 romanian children aged 12-31 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care. they were compared to a control group of 50 children who had never lived in an institution. their attachment type was measured using the strange situation. in addition carers were asked about unusual social behaviour including clingy, attention-seeking behaviour directed inappropriately to all adults (a measure of disinhibited attachment)

Question 4

Zeanah et al.’s research (findings)

Answer 4

researcher found that 74% of the control group were classed as securely attached in the stange situation. however, only 19% of the instituational group were securely attached. in contrast, the description of disinhibited attachment applied to 44% of institutionalised children as opposed to less than 20% of the controls

Question 5

effects of institutionalisation 1

Answer 5

disinhibited attachment: children who have spent their early lives in instituational care often show signs of disinhibited attachment. being equally friendly to both familiar and unfamiliar people. this is highly unusual behaviour. Rutter has explained disinhibited attachment to be the result of living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation. in poor quality institutions, a child might have 50 carers but doesnt spend enough time with any of them to be able to form a secure attachment.

Question 6

effects of institutionalisation 2

Answer 6

intellectual disabillity: in rutters study most children showed signs of intellectual disabillity when they arrived in britain. however most of those adopted before the age of 6 months caught up with the control group by age 4. like emotional development, damage to intellectual development as a result of institutionalisation can be recovered provided adoption takes place before the age of 6 months- the age at which attachment forms