3. Animal Studies Of Attachment

Question 1

What did Lorenz research?

Answer 1

Imprinting on geese (ridifugous birds)

Question 2

What is the independent variable in Lorenz’s study?

Answer 2

Whether the birds saw their mother or Lorenz as the first moving object

Question 3

What is the dependant variable in Lorenz’s research?

Answer 3

Who the goslings followed after they hatched

Question 4

What procedure did Lorenz use to discover imprinting?

Answer 4

• Field experiment
• divided a clutch of eggs into 2 groups (one saw mother first, one saw Lorenz first and were kept near him in incubator)
• Measured imprinting by releasing them from upturned box and seeing who they went to first

Question 5

Who did the incubator goslings imprint on?

Answer 5

Followed Lorenz everywhere (control group followed mother)

Question 6

Define Imprinting

Answer 6

Ridifugous birds follow the first large moving object they see

Question 7

What was the critical period Lorenz found for imprinting?

Answer 7

4-25 hours (irreversible, and after which they did not imprint at all)

Question 8

What is sexual imprinting?

Answer 8

A later case study in 1952 found that species show courtship to species of attachement figure (e.g. peacock showed sexual attraction to giant tortoise because of this)

Question 9

Describe the generalisability of Lorenz’s study

Answer 9

Lorenz only studied geese which are less emotional and complex than humans so findings cannot necessarily be generalised to humans

Question 10

How did a study by Guiton et. Al in 1996 contradict Lorenz’s suggestion that imprinting was permanent?

Answer 10

Chickens imprinted on rubber gloves were able to earn to be sexually attracted to other chickens, so sexual imprinting or imprinting may not be permanent

Question 11

What influence did Lorenz’s study have in psychology?

Answer 11

• Suggestion that imprinting was innate

- Lead to theories there was a critical period for humans

Question 12

What did Harlow study?

Answer 12

Contact comfort in rhesus monkeys

Question 13

How did Harlow test this?

Answer 13

Reared 8 baby monkeys with wire mother and cloth mother- wire mother or cloth mother dispensed milk

Question 14

Who did the monkeys seek comfort with?

Answer 14

The soft cloth mother- regardless of who gave them milk

Question 15

What was more important for the monkeys? Food or comfort?

Answer 15

Comfort

Question 16

What effect did maternal deprivation have on monkeys?

Answer 16

Permanent effect on future relationships- more aggressive, timid and neglectful as parents & unskilled at mating

Question 17

What is the critical period of attachment in monkeys?

Answer 17

90 days- effects irreversible outside this period

Question 18

What are the applications of Harlow’s research?

Answer 18

• Used to explain some effects of maternal deprivation in humans (as closely related)
• Emphasised importance of contact comfort over food
• Helped social workers & psychologists gain deeper understanding of deprivation in children and its impact n later relationships
• Zoos and breeding programs

Question 19

What are the ethical issues of Harlow’s research?

Answer 19

Protection from harm in monkeys- suffered in quality of life or died which word be human-like

Question 20

How may ethics be insignificant in this case?

Answer 20

Could be argued that the benefits of findings outweigh ethics