Animal studies

Question 1

Harlow (1959) aim

Answer 1

Test learning theory by comparing attachment behaviour in baby monkeys given a wire surrogate mother producing milk, and a soft towel mother producing no milk

Question 2

Harlow (1959) procedure

Answer 2

• 16 baby monkeys used
• two types of surrogate mother-wire with milk, towel no milk
• 4 conditions
• feeding time and time spent with mothers was recorded
• monkeys were frightened with lous noise to test for mother prefernce during stress

Question 3

Harlow (1959) findings

Answer 3

• monkeys preferred contact with towelling mother. Stretched across to the wire mother to feed while clinging to towel mother
• monkeys with only a wire surrogate had diarrhoea-sign of stress
• when frightened, monkeys clung to towelling mother

Question 4

Harlow (1959) conclusion

Answer 4

• infant monkeys formed more of an attachment with a figure that provided comofrt and protection
• growing up in isolation affected their development

Question 5

Harlow (1959) evaluation

Answer 5

-attachment concerns emotional security more than food
-comfort is associated with lower levels of stress
Harlow and Sumai (1970)- cloth surrogate with food and one without. One with food preferred so food may still be a significant factor in developing attachments

Question 6

Harlow (1959) evaluation-strengths

Answer 6

• supports nurture-comfort

- lab experiment so control of variables. Unlikely results were affected by an unknown variable

Question 7

Harlow (1959) evaluation-weaknesses

Answer 7

• can’t generalise because humans and monkeys aren’t the same
• ethical issues-cruel to the monkey, no right to consent/protection from harm
• monkeys later showed signs of being psychologically damaged
• study lacked ecological validity-monkey’s weren’t in natural environment-results can’t be applied to real life
• 16 monkeys-small sample size

Question 8

Lorenz (1935) impriniting aim

Answer 8

To investigate imprinting, where the youngsters follow and form an attachment to the first large moving object they meet

Question 9

Lorenz (1935) impriniting procedure

Answer 9

Lorenz carried out an experiment with geese. He set 2 conditions. Condition 1-he was the first moving object seen by the goose chicks after they hatched. Condition 2-the mother goose was the first moving object seen by the chicks after they hatched

Question 10

Lorenz (1935) impriniting findings

Answer 10

• the chicks in condition 1 followed Lorenz. When they were adult, they performed mating displays to him and ignored other geese
• the chicks in condition 2 followed their mother. They performed meeting rituals to other geese in adult life
• Lorenz found that goose chicks seemed to have a ‘critical period’, of a few hours in which to imprint (form an attachment). If they didn’t imprint in this time, they never would

Question 11

Lorenz (1935) impriniting evaluation

Answer 11

• imprinting is irreversible-suggests that the ability is under biological control, as learned bahviours can be modified by experience
• imprinting only occurs within a brief, set time period. This influenced Bowlby’s idea of a critical period in human babies
• unlikely to occur on humans because our attachments take longer to develop