1. Disruption of attachment

2. Failure to form attachment (privation) Privation refers to situations where children do not form an attachment with anyone. Genie – locked up by her father for 13 years, never recovered when she was found. Way past sensitive period and she did not develop any attachments. But she could have been retarded. Czech twins – locked up for 7 years but they recovered after they were looked after by their sisters. They had each other so it may not have been privation. Rutter et al – studied Romanian orphan that were adopted in England and found that if the orphans were older and then adopted, the orphans are more likely to suffer negative consequences because it would have taken them longer to form attachments than younger Romanian orphans.

3. Institutional care Institutional care refers to situations where children spend part of their childhood in a hospital, an orphanage or a residential children’s home. Candidates may use examples such as Hodges and Tizard or Rutter as part of their explanation. Hodges & Tizard (1989) found negative social effects such as attention seeking behaviour and problems with peer relationships in both adopted and restored children. Rutter’s longitudinal study of Romanian orphans showed negative effects on social and cognitive development, especially for children who had spent the longest time in an institution. Robertson and Robertson’s study of the effects of short term residential care would be relevant, eg PDD.

4. Attachment in everyday life The impact of different forms of day care on children’s social development, including the effects on aggression and peer relations How research into attachment and day care has influenced child care practices

5. The impact of different forms of day care on children’s social development, including the effects on aggression and peer relations Peer Relations Peer relations includes how well children get on with other children. This could include the child’s ability to make friends and play co-operatively with other children. Day care can increase sociability and independence in children. The EPPE (The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project: European longitudinal study of a national sample of young children’s development between the ages of 3 and 7 years) project findings also tell us about the positive effect day care can have upon peer relations, explain that preschool was associated with greater independence, cooperation, conformity and s ociability with children. High quality care was most effective where staff who have qualifications and an equal value is placed on social and educational development. Harvey (1999) further demonstrated that children who attend day care because their Mum's work suffered no permanent damage. However further research conducted suggested that any problems that children did suffer would disappear by the age of 12 years. Other factors besides Mothers employment affect children's development such as the quality of the mother-child relationship and day care quality. He concluded that both Mum's at home and working Mum's can produce healthy well-developed children.

6. Question Describe one or more studies of the effects of day care on peer relations (4)

7. Answer Generally the effects of day care on peer relationships are positive. Eg Field (1991) found the more time children spend in day care, the more friends they had. The EPPE project (2003) looked at large numbers of children in different types of pre-school provision and found high quality care was associated with greater sociability with other children. However, Dilallo (1988) found children who spend more time in day care were less cooperative and helpful in their relations with other children. Length of time in day care may be a factor as Campbell (2000) found children who were in care for a long time each day were less socially competent than children who spent shorter days in care.

8. Examiner Feedback The most successful candidates were able to describe one or more studies, often Field and the EPPE project, and focus on the effects on peer relations. An accurate description of one relevant study would have been awarded full marks. Less successful answers were very muddled about the studies and focused on aggression or attachment with no reference to peer relations. A few confused day care with institutional care.

9. Question Outline and evaluate research into the effects of day care on children’s social development (eg aggression, peer relations). (12)

10. Answer AO1 The effects of day care on aggression and peer relations are included in the specification, so it is likely that candidates will select research which relate to these. Generally the effect of day care on peer relationships is positive. Eg Field (1991) found the more time children spend in day care, the more friends they had. The EPPE project (2003) looked at large numbers of children in different types of pre-school provision and found high quality care was associated with greater sociability with other children. However, it also concluded that high levels of group care before the age of three (and particularly before the age of two) were associated with higher levels of aggression. Dilallo (1988) found children who spend more time in day care were less cooperative and helpful in their relations with other children. Length of time in day care may be a factor as Campbell (2000) found children who were in care for a long time each day were less socially competent than children who spent shorter days in care. Shea (1981) observed children (average age 4 years 3 months) who attended pre-school for 2, 3 or 5 days a week. He found that over a 10 week period aggressive behaviour decreased in all three groups. In the US, the NICHD study has followed the progress of more than 1000 children since 1991. It was found that the more time children spent in day care from birth to four and a half years, the more adults rated them at aggressive. Research in to the effects of day care on other aspects of children’s social development (eg attachment) is creditworthy. Candidates may refer to older studies. This is acceptable as long as they relate to day care (not institutionalisation) and relate to children’s social development.

11. Answer AO2 Candidates may include evaluation of specific studies. Eg the research study by Campbell et al (2000) was carried out in Sweden where day care is very well funded. The findings may not apply to day care in other countries where the day care is less well funded. More general evaluation of research in this area would also be relevant. The child’s experience will depend on the type of day care they attend, eg nursery or child minder. The age at which children start day care and the time they spend there each week are also important, as is the quality of care they receive. Negative views surrounding day care often relate to very young children who spend long periods each day in day care. Practical applications of research would also be relevant. Good quality day care should include low adult to child ratio, well-trained staff and a stable attachment figure.

12. Examiners feedback Students produced a wide range of acceptable material in response to this question. Some good answers focussed on two or three examples of research covering both aggression and peer relations. Evaluation often related to methodological issues and practical applications. Ethical criticisms tended to be speculative (they needed to ask the parents) or not appropriate (the children did not give consent). Where students had focussed on just one study there was often insufficient detail about the type of day care or the age of the children. Well written answers, with clear expression of ideas, specialist terms and few errors benefitted in the AO2 mark band. Weaker responses were those where it was impossible to identify the research the student was trying to describe, due to lack of accurate detail, or more often several studies muddled together. This was a clear case of a question where ‘less is more’ for some students. Had they been able to accurately describe identifiable research they would have been in a better position to explicit relevant evaluation. A few students wrote an account of the features of good quality day care, which was not what the question required. Some answers mistook day care for institutional care.

13. How research into attachment and day care has influenced child care practices Examination Question Explain how child care has been influenced by findings of research into attachment. (4)

14. Answer Children who are not looked after by their parents need to have an opportunity to form an attachment with someone else. Candidates may refer to the advantages of foster care or adoption rather than institutional care. Reference to key workers in day care would be relevant, as would parents staying with children in hospital. Candidates may legitimately refer to children who are looked after by their parents. In this case reference to a sensitive period and/or the importance of high levels of sensitive responsiveness would be credit worthy.

15. Examiner report Some candidates did not address the focus of the question which was the influence of findings of research into attachment. Too often answers described research into aggression or peer relationships with no reference to the question. Better answers considered the influence of attachment research on hospital practices and/or day care provision (staff ratio, staff training etc).