what is institutionalisation
being placed in an institution (e.g a hospital, mental institute) for an extended period of time
privation vs deprivation?
deprivation = loss of attachment
privation = attachment never formed
context: romanian orphans
president of romania banned contrcaption/abortions
left people with children they couldnt afford, so they gave them to overrun, overpopulated orphanages
sample population?
165 institutionalised romanian children
procedure?
checked child’s intellectual development every few years
findings?
as age of adoption increased, IQ decreased
what is disinhibited attachment?
very low, indiscriminate stranger anxiety, attention seeking behaviour, clinginess
what causes disinhibited attachment?
too many caregivers, not enough meaningful attachments
critical period vs sensitive period?
critical period = irreversable, sensitive period = reversible, but lots of damage
how long is the sensitive period?
6 months
strengths of study?
- ecological validity was high, real life situation
- since nearly all children were under same circumstances, less chance of abusive past affecting behaviour
- real life applications (ensuring key social workers to form attachments to)
limitations of study?
- conditions were so extreme, might not be able to generalise findings to other populations
- only went up to 15 years, effects in adulthood not seen
