Heston (1966)

Question 1

What criteria were used to select children for Heston’s study?

Answer 1

Children were selected if their mothers had:
* A diagnosis of schizophrenia
* Evidence of behavior consistent with schizophrenia
* No diseases
* Child and mother separated from birth

This rigorous selection ensured a clear focus on the impact of maternal schizophrenia.

Question 2

How many children initially satisfied the selection criteria for Heston’s study?

Answer 2

74 children

These children were born between 1915 and 1945 to mothers diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Question 3

What were some reasons for dropping participants from Heston’s study?

Answer 3

Reasons included:
* Death
* Contact with mother
* Disease
* No control participant due to exceptional circumstances

Ultimately, 16 participants were dropped, leaving 58 for the study.

Question 4

How many experimental participants remained in Heston’s study after follow-up?

Answer 4

47 experimental participants

This group consisted of 30 males and 17 females.

Question 5

What methods were used to assess psychiatric status at follow-up in Heston’s study?

Answer 5

Assessment methods included:
* Police records
* Retail credit reports
* School records
* Civil and criminal court actions
* Newspaper files
* Psychiatric hospital records
* Contacting relatives, friends, and employers
* Personal interviews (25/97 either refused or weren’t available)
* Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Invemtory (MMPI)
* IQ score ( school/other records )
* Social a class of the ppts first home
* Ppts current social class

These varied sources aimed to provide a comprehensive view of the participants’ psychiatric status.

Question 6

What was the gender distribution of the control participants in Heston’s study?

Answer 6

50 controls : 33 male, 17 females
47 exp : 30 males, 17 females

Controls were matched with experimental participants on sex and placement type.

Question 7

Fill in the blank: Heston’s study involved participants born to mothers with _______.

Answer 7

[a diagnosis of schizophrenia]

Question 8

What was the father’s status?

Answer 8

Psychiatric status no checked were none known to be hosp patients

Question 9

How many psychiatrists evaluated the dossier on each participant?

Answer 9

Two psychiatrists evaluated the dossier blindly and independently.

Question 10

Who made a third evaluation of the participants?

Answer 10

A third evaluation was made by Heston himself.

Question 11

What was required for a diagnosis of schizophrenia?

Answer 11

A diagnosis of schizophrenia was given only when all three raters agreed and they were also diagnosed by a psychiatric hospital.

Question 12

What score range was assigned to participants regarding psycho-social disability?

Answer 12

A score of 1-100 was assigned, where 100 was the highest.

Question 13

What do scores below 75 indicate?

Answer 13

Scores below 75 indicate that psychiatric symptoms become troublesome.

Question 14

What was the average psycho-social disability score for the control group?

Answer 14

The average psycho-social disability score for the control group was 80.1.

Question 15

What was the average psycho-social disability score for the experimental group?

Answer 15

The average psycho-social disability score for the experimental group was 65.2.

Question 16

Was there a significant difference in psycho-social disability scores?

Answer 16

Yes, there was a significant difference (p=0.0006).

Question 17

What was the average IQ for the control group?

Answer 17

The average IQ for the control group was 103.7.

Question 18

What was the average IQ for the experimental group?

Answer 18

The average IQ for the experimental group was 94.

Question 19

Was there a significant difference in IQ scores?

Answer 19

Yes, there was a significant difference (p=0.006).

Question 20

What was the rate of schizophrenia in those born to schizophrenic individuals?

Answer 20

The rate of schizophrenia in those born to schizophrenic individuals was 10.6%.

Question 21

What conclusion did Heston (1966) reach regarding schizophrenia?

Answer 21

Heston concluded that the findings support the influence of genes in schizophrenia.

Question 22

What other factors did Heston suggest might influence the development of schizophrenia?

Answer 22

Heston suggested that there must be other possible factors influencing the development of schizophrenia.

Question 23

What was the aim of the study?

Answer 23

To see how many adopted children of biological mothers with schizophrenia would go on to develop it.

Question 24

Who were the participants?

Answer 24

47 experimental participants (30 males + 17 females).

Question 25

What was the sampling method and exp?

Answer 25

- volunteer samplomf - took part in hosp and recruited via letter to parent - Matched pairs from a psychiatric hospital.

Question 26

How many participants were dropped from the study and why?

Answer 26

16 participants were dropped due to death, contact with mother, or disease.

Question 27

What were participants matched on?

Answer 27

Sex, type of eventual placement, and length of time in childcare.

Question 28

How was the psychiatric status of participants assessed?

Answer 28

Through police records, retail credit reports, and IQ scores.

Question 29

How was a diagnosis of schizophrenia decided?

Answer 29

When all three raters agreed on the diagnosis.

Question 30

Summarise the results in terms of no significant difference.

Answer 30

Little difference between the control and experimental group in age, gender, narratives, and number of participants.

Question 31

Summarise the results in terms of significant difference.

Answer 31

There was a significant difference in psychosocial disability.

Question 32

what was the conclusion of the study?

Answer 32

findings support influence of genes in Sz

Question 33

High generalisability

Answer 33

- wide range of age and gender - males and females t/f - representative of genetics in m+f

Question 34

High reliability

Answer 34

- clear genetic link for sz - Diathesis stress model, matched also on length of time in childcare - pre-screening - early intervention - prevention measures - environmental factory - control stress t/f - can be used to develop research in order to prevent Sz being passed om - we have controlled ppt variables

Question 35

High validity 1

Answer 35

- matched paris - sex and type of eventual placement t/f - high validity - meaningful comparisons

Question 36

High validity 2

Answer 36

- data was qual and from range or sources inc clinical interviews - data rich and insightful, interviews standardised # reliability established and questioning of ppts consistent - most interviews took place in ppts home- high validity

Question 37

Low validity

Answer 37

elements of social desirabilit with data collection methods, interviews and questionnaires used which may elicit a certain response from ppts suggesting data may not be as valid as first thought

Question 38

low validity 2

Answer 38

Although environmental effects were controlled for as children were raised in a diff environment to bio mothers, they may have been other EV's that are uncontrolled and not accounted for t/f - difficult to establish c+e

Question 39

ethics low

Answer 39

- nature of research may have caused distress to some ppts in identifying the exp group as having a Sz bio mother t/f testing and interviewing of ppts may have been distressing in light of aims of research

Question 40

What is a strength of adopting all children from birth?

Answer 40

We can measure nature v nurture, no learning - bio wouldn’t have an effect ## Footnote This enables measurement of nature vs. nurture and establishes cause and effect.

Question 41

What is the strength of conducting the experiment in participants' homes?

Answer 41

High ecological validity as behavior will be natural. ## Footnote Natural behavior reduces demand characteristics, making the results more authentic and valid.

Question 42

What was the sample size of the study?

Answer 42

47 participants. ## Footnote A low sample size can lead to anomalies skewing the data.

Question 43

Why is it a strength that evaluations were carried out by researchers blind to the hypothesis?

Answer 43

It eliminates researcher bias, making the study more objective and less subjective.

Question 44

How was informed consent gained, and is this a strength or a weakness?

Answer 44

Informed consent was gained through a letter asking participants if they wanted to take part, which is a strength.

Question 45

All children adopted from birth, why is this a strength ?

Answer 45

We can measure nature v nurture, no learning - bio wouldn’t have an effect ## Footnote This enables measurement of nature vs. nurture and establishes cause and effect.

Question 46

Evaluate sampling method of Heston?

Answer 46

Volunteer - letter strength - ethical efficiency, quicker than start weakness - more bias, motivated sample

Question 47

Why could this study be deemed as socially sensitive? Is this a strength or a weakness?

Answer 47

Linked to Sz - adoptive children - socially sensitive 1915-1945 - 1st Sz adoption study - triggering to relationships