Institutionalism Flashcards
(6 cards)
what is an institution?
refers to the place the place like an orphanage where children live for a long continuous period of time - there is often little emotional care provided.
what can living in an institution lead to?
lack of attachment figure, less sociable, more aggressive, less intelligent, not cared for well and may face boredom.
what led to newborns being put in an institution (in terms of the case that psychologists use to study deprivation)
abortion was banned and access to contraception was denied in Romania under communist rule - so many Romanians abandoned their newborn children leaving them to suffer at under-funded state-run orphanages.
describe the ERA (English and Romanian Adoptees) study.
- Rutter et al studies 165 Romanian children who spent early lives in Romanian institutions, thus suffered effects of institutionalisation.
- they were tested at regular intervals (ages 4,6,11 and 15) to assess physical, cognitive and social development.
findings: they lagged on all measures of development, they weighed less and were classified as mentally retarded - children adopted after 6 months age hd a particularly negative/more severe effect of institutionalisation.
describe Zeanuh’s study.
- he compared 136 Romanian children who spent 90 percent of lives in institution, to a control group of Romanian children who had never been in one.
- the children were aged 12-31 months and were assessed in the strange situation.
- the institutionalised children showed signs of disinhibited attachment.
where were the 3 effects of institutionalism?
disinhibited attachment - a form of insecure attachment where children do not discriminate between people they choose as attachment figures - may be seen as attention seeking.
physical underdevelopment - physically small, research shows the lack of emotional care rather than poor nourishment is the cause of deprivation dwarfism.
- intellectual under functioning - cognitive development is also affected by emotional deprivation.
