romanian orphan studies: institutionalisation ao3

Question 1

Strength - real life application

Answer 1

P: Research helps authorities to improve the conditions for children growing up outside the family home.
E: this research lead to Improved understanding of the effects → prevention Langdon, 2006)
•which lead to Improved conditions in the care system whereby there are One or two key workers in care homes as opposed to multiple adults
• Institutional care is deemed undesirable → foster care or adoption is encouraged to children can have a consistent care giver
E: This therefore increases the chances of children in care developed normally.
L: thus research into institutionalisation has contributed to changes in the care system so individuals within it are prevented from having delayed intellectual development and attachments improving their quality of life

Question 2

Strength - lack of confounding variables

Answer 2

P: there is a lack of confounding variables in Romanian orphan studies. This is an issue raised by previous orphan studies who used orphans who had experienced varying degrees of trauma.E.g. War orphans.
E: was thus Very difficult to disentangle the effects of neglect, physical abuse and bereavement from those of institutional care.
• Romanian orphans were in the main handed over by loving parents who couldn’t afford to keep them
L: → Results are less likely to be confounded by other negative early experiences. Meaning psychologists can draw meaningful conclusions from them due to high internal validity

Question 3

Counterpoint to lack of confounding variables

Answer 3

P: studies from Romanian orphanages may have introduced other confounding variables
E: for example the level of care was remarkably poor, little intellectual stimulation, comfort and emotional
Care.
E: effects of intitutinalsitiln may in fact be the effects of poor institutional
Care rather than institutional care in general.
L: so internal validity may not be as high as once thought

Question 4

Weakness - socially sensitive research

Answer 4

P: the results from the research into institutionalisation was published while the orphans were growing up
E: whereby the results showed late adopted children typically have poor developmental outcomes
E: this may have resulted in lower expectations and self belief in children and adults surrounding them (foster/adoptive parents and teachers)
L: despite a lot of good coming from
Research the potential damage it could cause to children involved calls into question wherether or not benefits of research outweigh costs. This is made to be even more important when looking at the fact that this research is still ongoing.