Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
Published on: October 13, 2017
Specific extreme behaviors of postinstitutionalized Russian adoptees
Brandi N Hawk1, Robert B McCall
1University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, 400 North Lexington Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, USA. bnm6@pitt.edu
Abstract:
Behavior problems reported by parents on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) were studied in 316 children adopted from social-emotionally depriving Russian institutions as a function of age at adoption (18-month cutoff), age at assessment (6-11 and 12-18 years), and gender. Children adopted after 18 months had higher problem scores predominately when assessed at 12-18 years. Although most children had no behavior problems, 59.0% of later adoptees assessed in adolescence had at least 1 subscale score and 48.7% had 2 or more subscale scores in the clinical/borderline range. A factor analysis of items that significantly related to age at adoption for older children revealed 1 broad factor, encompassing different antisocial behaviors, social difficulties, and withdrawal. These results may suggest a somewhat broader deficiency produced by orphanage experience beyond the first 18 months of life that underlies a range of behavioral problems displayed later.
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Conduct Disorder
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Behaviorism
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
Naturalistic Observations

