AO1: Romanian Orphan Studies

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  • AO1: Romanian Orphan Studies
    • Effects of Institutionalisation
      • Disinhibited attachment
        • The child is equally friendly and affectionate towards people they know well and who are strangers
        • This may be an adaptation to multiple caregivers
      • Damage to intellectual development
        • Display of signs of mental retardation
        • The effect is not as pronounced if adopted before 6 months old
    • Rutter et al (2011): English and Romanian adoptee Study
      • Procedure
        • Researchers followed a group of 165 Romanian orphans who experienced poor conditions before being adopted in Britain
        • The study tested whether good care can make up for poor early experiences
        • Physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed at 4, 6, 11 and 15 years
        • The study also followed a control group of 52 adopted British children
      • Findings
        • Half the orphans showed mental retardation when they came to the UK. At age 11, recovery rates were related to their ages of adoption
        • Those adopted before 6 months had a mean IQ of 102
        • Adoption between 2 and 6 months and 2 years had a mean IQ of 86
        • Adoption after 2 years resulted in a mean IQ of 77
      • Conclusions
        • Frequency of disinhibited attachment is related to the age of adoption
        • Clinginess, attention seeking and indiscriminate affection to strangers was apparent in children adopted after 6 months, but rare in children adopted before then
        • There is a sensitive period in the development of attachments
        • Failure to form an attachment before the age of 6 months appears to have long-lasting effects
    • Zeanah et al (2005): Bucharest Early Intervention Project
      • Procedure
        • Researchers used the strange situation to assess attachment in 95 children aged between 12 and 31 months
        • The 95 children spent most of their lives in institutions
        • They were compared to a control group of 50 children who had never been in an institution
      • Findings
        • Only 19% of the institutionalised children were securely attached
        • 65% were classified with disorganised attachment

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