Animal research

Question 1

Harlow

Answer 1

He reared (raised) 16 baby monkeys with 2 wire models
In one condition milk was dispensed by the plain wire mother
In a second condition milk was dispensed by the cloth covered mother.

Question 2

Harlow results

Answer 2

• Harlow concluded that a mother figure had to be introduced to an infant monkey within 90 days for an attachment to form
• After this time, attachment was impossible and the damage done from this deprivation was irreparable

Question 3

Lorenz

Answer 3

Half of the eggs were hatched with the mother in their natural environment and the other half were hatched in an incubator where Lorenz was the first thing they saw

Question 4

Lorenz findings

Answer 4

• Lorenz identified a critical period in which imprinting needs to take place and it depends on the species but it could be as brief as a few hours after hatching.
• If imprinting doesn’t occur within that time, Lorenz found that chicks didn’t attach themselves to the first thing they saw.

Question 5

sexual imprinting study

Answer 5

• Case study (1952): peacock reared in reptile house, the first moving object it saw was a giant tortoise, as an adult it would only direct courtship towards giant tortoises. Peacocks had undergone sexual imprinting

Question 6

Guiton

Answer 6

• Found that chickens imprinted on yellow gloves would then try and mate with them when they were adults as Lorenz predicted.
• However, with experience the chicken learnt to mate with other chickens.
• So the impact of imprinting on mating behavior is not as permanent as Lorenz’s conclusions.