romanian orphan studies + effects of institutionalisation Flashcards
what is institutionalisation?
- living arrangements outside the family home/ family (orphanage)
what can institutionalisation result in?
- results in child adopting rules and norms of the institution that can impair functioning
why was Romania studied?
- in 1966 the dictating government encouraged reproduction and banned abortion - many babies couldn’t be cared for
who researched romanian orphans?
Rutter et al.
outline Rutter’s procedure
- studied 165 romanian orphans who had suffered privation, were adopted by British families
- some before the age of 6 months and some older
- the children were assessed at the ages of 4, 6, 11 and 14
- their progress was compared to 52 British adoptees
outline Rutter’s findings
- orphans initially had retarded development
- children adopted before 6 months developed normally
- those adopted older than 6 months formed indiscriminate attachments with adults (attach to anyone)
- and had problems forming peer relationships
- those adopted before 6 months of age had an IQ 25 points higher than those adopted after 2 years of age
what were the conclusions of Rutter’s study?
- the effects of privation can be overcome if an attachment is formed within the first 6 months, with sensitive, nurturing care
- after 6 months the negative effects tend to be more permanent
who further researched into the effects of institutionalisation?
Zeanah
outline Zeanah’s research
- compared 136 Romanian children (aged 12-36months)
- they had spent more than 90% of their childhood in an institution
- compared them to a control group
- assessed using SS
- found that a large proportion of them showed disinhibited attachment
what is disinhibited attachment?
- a form of insecure attachment
- children would treat strangers with an inappropriate familiarity (affection) and be attention-seeking
what were the further effects of institutionalisation found?
- poor intellectual functioning/ mental retardation
- physical underdevelopment (lack of emotional care and growth)
- impaired adult relationships (poor parenting)
- delayed language development
- quasi-autism (problems understanding social contexts)
evaluation: practical applications
ID: one positive outcome of studies on Romanian orphans is that they have practical applications
Q: this means that due to a better understanding of the negative effects of institutionalisation, there has been informed changes in policy on how children are looked after
EX: for example, early year care settings, such as nurseries, now avoid having large numbers of caregivers for each child. furthermore, nurturing foster families are now first choice placement where possible, meaning babies are now put up for adoption in the first week of birth
AN: this is important because it shows that care for children has been improved through understanding from Romanian orphan studies. more children have the chance to develop secure attachments and avoid disinhibited attachment types. therefore, the research into institutionalisation has been valuable in practical terms.
evaluation: lack of control
ID: however, a weakness of Rutter’s research is that the conclusions made are not generalisable to all children
Q: this is because there are individual differences between children due to Rutter having low experimental control after analysis
EX: for example, in some studies, the children were not as strongly affected as others. Rutter claims that this may have been because some children smiled more while in the institution, meaning extraneous variables eg ‘good’ temperament of the child or a child with seemingly less problems, may be adopted sooner.
AN: therefore, conclusions cannot be applied to all children, due to the study lacking population validity and control. reducing external validity of the research into institutionalisation
evaluation: research was longitudinal + ELAB: lack of scientific evidence as adults
ID: a methodological strength of Rutter’s research is that it was longitudinal
Q: this means that the children were assessed at the ages of 4, 6, 11 and 14
EX: following children’s lives over a prolonged period of time reduces the possibility of premature conclusions being made ie that the effects of institutionalisation are irreversible. ex-institutional children may need more time to mature sufficiently. In Rutter’s study, it was found that near the end of assessment (age 11), a lower number of children had disinhibited attachments.
AN: therefore, if the study had not been longitudinal, Rutter may have wrongly concluded that disinhibited attachments were permanent, even if exposed to good quality emotional care.
ELAB: however, Rutter’s research can be criticised for lacking scientific evidence as adults
EX: we cannot generalise results from childhood studies to adults, as it may not affect adults in later life
