Procedure

• Rutter followed 165 Romanian Orphans who had been adopted by English families for a number of years

  Wanted to investigate if good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions

  Longitudinal design
• Physical , cognitive and emotional development was assessed at 4 , 6 , 11 , 15 and 22-25 years of age

  A group of 52 children from the UK at a similar age served as a control group