Institutionalisation

• Disinhibited attachment happens as a result of being cared for by multiple carers during the sensitive period. It leads to children being as affectionate towards strangers as they are with familiar people. Its symptoms include attention seeking and clinginess
• Mental retardation - Rutter showed that most children from a Romanian orphanage showed signs of mental retardation when they arrived to Britain. This demonstrates how being raised without adequate care during the sensitive period can lead to intellectual deficits too (e.g. abnormally low IQs)
• Rutter English and Romanian Adoptee study - Procedure

  Rutter et al followed 165 Romanian orphans who were adopted in Britain to test the extent to which good emotional care can make up for poor early experiences in institutions. Three groups: adopted before 6 months, adopted between 6 months and 2 years, adopted after 2 years. Compared to children from British institutions adopted at the same age(control group). Physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed at the ages of 4, 6, 11 and 15.
• Rutter English and Romanian Adoptee study - Findings

  Half the adoptees showed signs of mental retardation and majority were severely undernourished. Mean IQ for before 6 months was 102, 86 for between 6 months and 2 yrs. 77 for those after 2yrs. Differences remained until 16
• Rutter English and Romanian Adoptee study - Conclusions

  An effect of institutionalisation is mental retardation

  This effect appears to be less signification if the infant is removed from the institution and adopted before the age of 6 months
• Bucharest Early Intervention Project - Method

  Zeanah et al assessed attachment in institutionalised children. Attach measured using strange situation then compared with infants who werent institutionalised.
• Bucharest Early Intervention Project - Findings

  44% of the institutionalised kids had disinhibited attach but the control was 20%
• Bucharest Early Intervention Project - Conclusion

  Institutionalisation increases the risk of children developing disinhibited attachment type which is due to being cared for by multiple carers during their sensitive period
• Strength of Rutter's research is that it is longitudinal. Rutter assessed the children at the ages of 4, 6, 11 and 15 which shows they were studied over a long period of time. S bc it provides rich data on how institutionalisation affects intellectual development over time and track the development of the same children at different time points. This isnt possible with studies that arent longitudinal and provide a one off snapshot observation.
• (Strength longitudinal) Moreover it has helped us see the long term negative effects of institutionalisation on development which showed that early adoption is important as it prevents long term damage to intellectual development. Increases validity
• Strength of the research is that it has practical applications. Orphanages and children's homes try to minimise staff turnover and ensure that each carer has a small group to look after - known as key carers. Having a key carer means that children have a chance to develop normal attachments and avoid disinhibited attachment. S bc such studies have led to improvements in the way children are cared for in institutions as they are less likely to develop disinhibited attachments. Improves lives increase utility
• Weakness is that it lacks generalisability. The Romanian orphanages studied by Rutter had such poor standards of care, especially when it came to forming relationships and they also had extremely low levels of intellectual stimulation. W bc the exceptionally bad conditions found in the orphanages studied means that the findings cannot be applied to understand the effects on orphans in the UK which has arguably better standards of care. The study therefore lacks generalisability and this decreases its validity