Robertson's naturalistic observations of children in hospital (1948)

Procedure - Robertson observed and filmed a 2 year old girl called Laura during her 8 day stay in hospital for an operation.

Results - When removed from their caregiver, children go through 3 phases. Protest - the child cries. Despair - the crying becomes more urgent. Detachment, the child (superficially) appears to have adjusted and they stop protesting/crying.

Conclusion - The child become severely depressed, widows/widowers go through the same 3 phases (protest, despair and detachment). The child begins to accept their environment and will sometimes reject their primary caregiver if they appear again. In some cases the child can even die from…