2b. Evaluation on Effects of institutionalisation and the ERA project

What are the 2 strengths of institutionalisation research?

2 strengths of institutionalisation research=

• can be applied to improving care for children

• research used longitudinal studies

Why is institutionalisation research’s ability to be applied to improving care for children a strength?

Institutionalisation research can be applied to improving care for children.

Research has shown the importance of early adoption.

Previously, mothers who were going to give their child up for adoption were encouraged to care for the child for a significant period of time first. We now know that, following this process, the critical period will likely have passed by the time the child is adopted, making forming attachments much more difficult.

Now, most babies are adopted within the first week of birth, showing the beneift of institutionalisation research.

Why is institutionalisation research using longitudinal studies a strength?

Institutionalisation research using longitudinal studies a strength.

The lives of the children were followed over many years. While this leads to practical issues such as a large amount of planning and waiting, there are many benefits. Long term effects are able to be observed and comapred between the same individual at different ages.

Therefore, differences between ppts cannot effect the results, improving external validity.

What are 2 limitations of institutionalisation research?

2 limitations of institutionalisation research=

• it is inevitable that there were confounding variables

• some children were better at recovering from institutionalisation than others

Why is institutionalisation research inevitably bound to have confounding variables a limitation?

Institutionalisation research inevitably bound to have confounding variables is a limitation.

Romanian orphans were faced with more than emotional deprivation. The physical conditions and lack of cognitive stimulation affected health and development respectively. Furthermore, Turner and Lloyd found that many orphans were adopted into families in poverty, so after care was poor.

This means that it was not just emotional deprivation that lead to the results, reducing internal validity

Why is some children better at recovering from institutionalisation than others a limitation?

Some children better at recovering from institutionalisation than others is a limitation.

Research shows there are individual differences in how children were affected by institutionalisation. Rutter said this could be down to having different experiences with institutions. Some children may have been treated differently by carers than others.

Therefore we cannot conclude that institutionalisation will inevitably cause an inability to form attachments.

ERA

ERA provides research support for Bowlby’s idea of critical period but also contradictory evidence for the more determinist aspects of his theories