strengths

• harlows research - observed in the monkeys behaviour effects of institutionalisation (e.g. rocking, aggression, lack of control, poor parenting)
•  One strength of Rutter and Songua-Barke's research findings from studying the effects of institutionalisation is their real-world application to social services. Their study helped change the way that children are looked after, especially when it comes to the adoption process. Historically, mothers were encouraged to keep their babies for a substantial period by which time the critical period for attachment formation may have passed. Nowadays, infants are adopted as early as one-week-old and Singer et al. states that children are as securely attached to their adoptive mothers and biological
•  Another strength of Rutter and Songua-Barke's research is that their research was longitudinal. Their research took place over many years allowing them to assess both the short-term and long-term effects of institutionalisation and subsequent benefits from adoption. Therefore, the results of their research appear to be a valid representation of the effects of being placed in institutional care as well as portraying the results of receiving quality follow-on emotional caregiving in a timely manner