Romanian Orphans Flashcards
What are Romanian orphan studies and what are they studying?
- they are studies concerned with children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them
- institutionalisation > the effects of institutional care on a child’s attachment & development
What did Rutter conduct?
English Romanian Adoptee study (ERA)
What was the aim of Rutters research?
To investigate the extent to which good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions
How many Romanian orphans did Rutter follow and at what ages was physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed in Rutters research?
- 165 Romanian orphans adopted by british families
- 4,6,11, 15 & 22-25
Who were the Romanian adoptees compared to? ERA
a control group of 52 British adoptees
What were Rutters findings when Romanian adoptees first arrived in the UK?
They were malnourished and showed signs of delayed intellectual development
What did recovery rates in Rutters study relate to at the age of 11?
age of adoption
What was the mean IQ for Romanians adopted in the first 6 months, 6 months-2years & after two years?
- 6 months=102
- 6months-2years = 86
- after 2 years=77
In Rutters study what was the difference in attachment outcome between those adopted before or after 6 months?
- those orphans adopted after 6 months showed signs of disinhibited attachment
- symptoms included: attention seeking, clinginess, indiscriminate affection
What did Rutter conclude from his study?
Supports there is a sensitive period in development of attachments and without this attachment they can have long lasting effects
What project did Zeanah et al conduct?
Bucharest Early Intervention project (BEI)
What did Zeanah et al assess and what was her sample?
assessing attachment in 95 children aged 12-31 months, who spent most of their lives in institutions> using the strange situation to measure attachment type
Who was Zeanah et al’s sample compared to?
control group of 50 children who never lived in an institution
What did Zeanah et al find in relation to secure attachments?
only 19% of institutionalised group were classes as securely attached compared to 74%of control group
What percentage of children in Zeanah et al’s study were classified with a disorganised attachment & disinhibited?
- 65% disorganised
- 44% disinhibited
What are the two effects of institutionalisation?
- Disinhibited attachment
- Intellectual disability
What is disinhibited attachment?
a form of insecure attachment where children are equally friendly and affectionate towards people they know well and strangers (no stranger anxiety)
What does Rutter say disinhibited attachment is an adaption of?
What is a strength of Romanian orphan studies?
What is another strength of Romanian orphan studies?
What is a limitation of Romanian orphan studies?
What is another limitation of Romanian orphan studies?
