Effects of Institutionalisation: Romanian Orphans
- Created by: zara.mathur
- Created on: 18-11-19 18:12
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- Romanian Orphans Study
- Rutter wanted to investigate the effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian Orphans
- Aim
- To assess whether loving/nurturing care could overturn the effects of institutionalisation
- Procedure
- A longitudinal and natural experiment
- A natural experiment because age of adoption cannot be chosen (naturally occurring IV)
- Longitudinal study because the same participants are used in the same conditions - happened over a long time
- Conditions
- 1. Children adopted before the age of 6 months
- 2. Children adopted between 6 months and 2 years
- 3. Children adopted after 2 years
- IV: Age of adoption DV: Child's level of cognitive functioning
- 111 Romanian orphans individually assessed for physical, emotional development and cognitive functioning on arrival in Britain
- Assessed again at 4 years old
- Control group of 52 British adopted children were also assessed
- Control group to assess if negative effects were due to separation of carers or institutional conditions
- A longitudinal and natural experiment
- Findings
- 50% of Romanian orphans were retarded and most were underweight
- At age 4, the orphans showed great improvement in development
- Conclusion
- Negative affects on institutionalisation can be overcome by sensitive nurturing
- Aim
- A03
- The results provide evidence for Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis
- This predicts that lack of attachment results in serious and permanent damage to the child's emotional, social and intellectual development
- 50% of infants were retarded, showing problems with attachment
- Support the idea that maternal deprivation has long-lasting effects
- Follow up studies which find similar results to that of Rutter
- Morrison and Elwood: Romanian orphans adopted in Canada
- Rutter found that poor peer relations weren't associated with instiutionalisation
- Suggests that Bowlby's results were reliable
- Difficult to be sure the effects are solely as a result of maternal deprivation
- Previous studies of orphans who have involved children experience trauma before insitutionalisation
- Unclear effects of trauma and insitutionalisation
- This is a limitation as the unusual situation means that the studies may not be generalised to other orphans
- The results provide evidence for Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis
- Rutter wanted to investigate the effects of institutionalisation on the Romanian Orphans
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