Romanian orphan studies Flashcards
What is institutionalisation?
Deficits in psychological, social and life skills which develope after a person has spent a long time living in institutions such as orphanages, prisons and mental hospitals.
What are the effects of institutionalisation?
Low IQ, disinhibited attachment, difficulty forming relationships and below average physical development
What is disinhibited attachment?
A type of insecure attachment where children don’t form close attachments with caregivers
What is the result of a disinhibited attachment?
Children treat strangers with inappropriate familiarity and may be attention seeking
What was Rutter’s ERA study procedure?
165 Romanian orphans were adopted in england with 111 adopted before the age of 2 and 54 adopted by the age of 4. The children were compared to 52 British children adopted by 6 months and their physical, social and cognitive development was tested frequently
What were Rutter’s findings?
At the time of adoption, the Romanian orphans were significantly behind the British counterparts but most caught up by 4 . Children adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment and has difficulties with peer relationships
What were Rutter’s conclusions?
It children have the opportunity to form attachment early, long term consequences are less severe compared to those who did not.
What was the procedure of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project?
It was a longitudinal study of the social development of orphans fostered in Romania
What were the findings of the BEI project?
Much more insecure and disinhibited attachment was present in children who remained in institutions
What is a validity strength of Romanian orphan studies?
There are fewer confounding variables as the orphans had been handed over by loving parents so it is possible to isolate the effects of institutionalisation compared to war orphan studies.
What are strengths of the Romanian orphan studies?
It has real life applications and improved valdiity
How do Romanian orphan studies have practical application?
It has improved the conditions experienced by children who are looked after, e.g. children in the care system often only have 1 or 2 key workers involved in their care
What is a limitation of the Romanian Orphan studies?
Lack of adult data
Why is the lack of adult data a limitation?
The latest data is from children in their early-mid 20s so do not have data about long term effects, such as mental health issues and success rates in later relationships
