Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting
Published on: November 30, 2015
Are there biological programming effects for psychological development? Findings from a study of Romanian adoptees
Michael Rutter1, Thomas G O'Connor,
1Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom. j.wickham@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Abstract:
Associations between experiences and outcomes could be due to (a) continuation of adversity or (b) organismic changes, including experience-expectant and experience-adaptive developmental programming. The adoption into British families of children who had been reared in profoundly depriving institutions in Romania presented an opportunity to test mechanisms. Romanian children reared from infancy in very depriving institutions for periods up to 42 months were compared with 52 nondeprived UK-born children placed into adoptive families before the age of 6 months. The results at 6 years of age showed substantial normal cognitive and social functioning after the provision of family rearing but also major persistent deficits in a substantial minority. The pattern of findings suggests some form of early biological programming or neural damage stemming from institutional deprivation, but the heterogeneity in outcome indicates that the effects are not deterministic.
Related Concept Videos
Regression Toward the Mean
Introduction to Biological Bases of Psychology
The nervous system, the cornerstone of...
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Evolutionary Psychology
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences

