The Dutch Famine Study

The developing brain and the environment – psych notes continued.

The Dutch Famine Study

  

     “Famine and Human Development” by Stein, Susser, Saegen and Morolla, 1975.

Period of Famine:  Oct 44 – May 45

Daily caloric intake:

1939 to 1944 – 1800 cal.

1944 to 1945 -  < 700 cal.  (due to war)

   Malnutrition on early life – not effect on adult in this study

   Part of Netherlands was completely cut off  and therefore there was a consumption of  700 cal for six months and then they were liberated.

    All in a sudden there was famine.  The Dutch kept good medical records.  All nineteen year old males went through medical and intelligent testing because of the draft at the time.

Study Groups = 9 months gestation period

Pre-famine                                              Post famine

               1943       1944        1945      1946

     

Assessment

-  all 19 year old males tested

-RAVEN’s Progressive matrices

    - Raven is visual spatial IQ test,

Gets harder and harder – culturally neutral, cognitive visual ability

Result -  no difference between affected and unaffected parts of the country.  At any time, though did find it in class.  No effect on nutrient.  Infant mortality went up. 

Did they treat pregnant women differently?

Blond and blue

Could really malnourished died or not be tested?  

Only men tested therefore how about females?

Very different in sex, culture – gender difference and sensibility – racial

Enriched environment with malnutrients.  Think about all reasons.

Reading:  Long term effects.  What do you take from this study?

    Always think about IQ tests and how appropriate it is.

Pay attention

Easy to measure corpus collusum

Lot of discussion difference between corpus between male and female

All of this is correlational

Group that is malnourished characteristics and unnourished

Screening – what did they rule out?

Chose people who graduated high school, no history of drugs, alcohol etc…self reports.

What factors are ruled out?  One group malnourished and one not. 

Difference because malnutrition but not always – Multifactual

        One of the most dramatic factors in this study, maternal education wants this to be assessed.

 Social – look out. 

     All the same in the two groups- when dealing with large groups there can be so many other variations.  At bottom, correlations.  

to be continued........