The Effects of Institutionalisation

• What is institutionalisation?

  Children raised by the state in certain institutions without consistent emotional and physical care
• How can institutionalisation impact childhood development?

  By altering behavior and attachment formation
• What is deprivation in the context of emotional care?

  Lack of emotional care due to separation
• What is privation in the context of emotional care?

  Total lack of emotional care
• Which is more severe, deprivation or privation?


  Privation
• What is the name of Rutter's study?

  English and Romanian Adoptee Study
• When did Rutter's ERA study take place?

  1998-2011
• Approximately how many children were found in Romanian orphanages after 1990?

  170,000
• What type of experiment was Rutter's ERA study?

  Natural experiment
• How many Romanian orphans were adopted into British families in Rutter's study?

  165
• How were children grouped in Rutter's ERA study?

  • Before 6 months
  • 6 months – 2 years
  • Over 2 years
• What was the size of the control group in Rutter's study?

  52
• At what ages did assessments take place in Rutter's ERA study?

  4, 6, 11, and 15
• What type of attachment was common in children adopted after 6 months in Rutter's study?

  Disinhibited attachment
• What is disinhibited attachment?

  Overly friendly behavior towards strangers
• What was the average IQ of children adopted after 2 years at age 2 in Rutter's study?

  77
• What was the average IQ of children adopted before 6 months at age 2 in Rutter's study?

  122
• In Rutter's study, what persisted at age 15 in those adopted after 6 months?

  Intellectual problems
• What difficulties did some children in Rutter's study experience?

  Difficulties understanding social situations
• What did Rutter's study suggest about Bowlby's critical period?

  More of a "sensitive period"
• What are the strengths of Rutter's ERA study?

  • Led to practical applications, such as earlier adoption policies and improved orphanage care.
  • Supports and challenges Bowlby’s critical period – children can recover with later care (sensitive period).
• What are the weaknesses of Rutter's ERA study?

  • Selection bias – British parents chose children for adoption, often picking the most sociable ones, making results less generalisable.
• Why is privation considered more severe than deprivation?

  It prevents attachment from ever forming
• What type of conditions did the Romanian orphans experience?

  Extreme privation