London prof. urges more research on children

By Ahmed Hamid

For the Daily

Sir Michael Rutter, a professor of child psychology from the University of London Institute of Psychiatry, addressed a packed crowd gathering in East Hall yesterday, urging more research in child psychopathology and the environment in which children grow up.

"It is quite striking how little systematic research has been done," Rutter said in his lecture, titled "Environmental Influences on Child Psychology: Some Challenges and Some Solutions," which was co-sponsored by the Center for Human Growth and Development and the Department of Psychology.

Rutter began the lecture by stating that child psychology had been through "various stages of evangelism," but that now we are "moving to a different era." He also stressed the need to "identify the mechanisms" of the environment that put a child's healthy development at risk.

Going on to dispel the "myths" regarding child psychology, he said, "The reasoning that family-wide influences do not matter in child development is partially wrong."

Referring to the environment in cities, he noted a study conducted in 1980 revealing that "living in inner city London was not good for your mental health."

The study analyzed the change in delinquency in 14-year-olds who stayed in London and those who moved out. The researchers found that residents of the city showed increasing criminal behavior, while those who had left showed a large decrease.

"Change in environment did make a substantial difference to crime," he said.

Rutter said major improvements are seen when children are removed from hostile environments. He noted that studies have revealed "parental criticism" and "sibling negativity" as strongly impacting a child's anti-social behavior.

"Anti-social boys are much more likely to be divorced, be employed in unskilled work and have no friends when they reach adulthood," he said. "The point is that the boys' behavior is predisposing them to these experiences."

But Rutter acknowledged that people are affected by their environment differently. "There are huge individual differences in peoples exposure to stress and adversity," he said.

Rutter was adamant about letting children experience their environment and not encasing them in a protective cocoon.

"Should you be protecting children from all the nasty challenges life projects? I suggest not," he said.

Third-year Social Work graduate student Gabrielle Gruber said she attended the lecture because her work "has really been influenced by Professor Rutter."

"His research has really influenced the areas of psychopathology and resilience and he was one of the first to research them," she said.

Third-year psychology graduate student Alicia Merline said her "admiration for his research and his insight" brought her to the lecture.

Knighted in 1992, Rutter has received several awards, including the 1992 John Hill Award for Excellence in Theory, Development and Research on Adolescence and the 1995 American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. He currently serves as president of the Society for Research and Development.

"Professor Rutter is one of the most comprehensive thinkers of issues of development and mental health in children in the world," psychology Prof. Arnold Sameroff said. "His integrating assessment of research, especially the necessity to combine the best biological research with the best psychological and social research to understand the interactions of all those influences has served in creating a successful child development model."

DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily

Sir Michael Rutter, a professor from the University of London Institute of Psychiatry, speaks at East Hall yesterday.