A01

• Define institutionalisation?

  The social, mental and physical effects of living in an institutional setting (such as hospital or orphanage)
• Name two orphan studies which investigate the effects of institutionalisation

  1. Rutter's ERA study (2011)

  2. The Bucharest Early Intervention project (2005) - Zeanah et al.
• What are four effects of institutionalisation?

  1. Mental retardation (low IQ)

  2. Disinhibited attachment (form of insecure attachment - child is equally friendly towards strangers)

  3. Physical underdevelopment (dwarfism)

  4. Poor parenting (e.g. Harlow's monkeys)
• What was the procedure of Rutter's ERA study?

  - Longitudinal, natural experiment

  - Followed group of 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain

  - Physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed at 4,6,11 and 15

  - Group of 52 British children adopted at similar times - control group
• What were the findings on IQ for Rutter's ERA study?

  - Adopted before 6 months: IQ = 102

  - Adopted between 6 months and 2 years: IQ = 86

  - Adopted after 2 years: IQ = 77
• What were the findings for Attachment type for Rutter's ERA study?

  - Adopted after 6 months - dis-inhibited attachment

  - Adopted before 6 months rarely showed dis-inhibited attachment
• What is the conclusion from Rutter's study?

  Intellectual development that is damaged can be recovered provided that adoption takes place before 6 months
• What was the procedure of The Bucharest Early Intervention Project - Zeanah et al. (2005)?

  - Had experimental and control group

  - Experimental = 95 children between 12 and 31 months who had spent most of early lives in institutional care

  - Control group = 50 children who never experienced institutional care

  - Attachment type of both groups tested using Strange Situation and carers asked for behavioural characteristics of children (e.g. clinginess)
• What were the findings of The Bucharest Early Intervention Project?

  - 74% of control group = securely attached

  - 65% of institutional group = disorganised attachment and 44% = dis-inhibited attachment
• What is a study that supports the idea that institutionalisation can lead to poor parenting?

  Harlow's monkeys