Attachment: Romanian orphan studies

Question 1

Who conducted the study?

Answer 1

Rutter et al

Question 2

What was the aim of the study?

Answer 2

To investigate wether maternal deprivation during the critical period affects an infant’s psychological development

Question 3

What was the sample?

Answer 3

-165 Romanian orphans who were adopted in the uk
-natural study
-longitudinal (followed up from age 4 till 15)

Question 4

What did the study find?

Answer 4

-if adopted before 6 months they are more likely to overcome psychological or physical underdevelopment however if adopted after 2 years they are less likely

Question 5

What was a strength to the study?

Answer 5

RWA: improved care in institutions, assigned key workers and spend as much time as possible in foster care
-few confounding variables, most abandoned at birth so no early trauma -therefore effects seen are a result of institutionalisation

Question 6

What were the limitations to the study?

Answer 6

-cannot be generalised -Romanian orphanages had unusually poor care so may be that effects are result of neglect/abuse rather than institutionalisation
-infants not randomly assigned to conditions– sociable babies might be adopted earlier which is a confounding variable