Animal Studies Flashcards
What is imprinting?
An innate readiness to develop a string bond with the first moving object seen, which normally takes place during the first few hours after birth
What are the long lasting effects of imprinting?
It effects later mating preferences and it is irreversible
What is sexual imprinting?
Animals (especially birds) will choose to mate with the same kind of object upon which they imprinted.
What is the study that shows evidence for imprinting?
Lorenz 1952)
What was Lorenz study?
Procedure:
- He split a lunch of geese , one half stayed with the mother and the other hatched in an incubator so that Lorenz was the first thing they saw
- Lorenz recorded their behaviour
Findings:
- Naturally hatched gosling followed the mother and the incubator ones followed Lorenz
Which study showed evidence that attachment is not based on feeding?
Harlow (1958)
What was Harlows study?
Procedure:
- Reared 16 baby monkeys with 2 wire ‘mothers’
- Condition one: wire mother dispensed milk
- Condition two: wire mother is made of cloth
- Measured time spent with each mother and observed monkeys reaction when scared
Findings:
- Regardless of which mother dispensed milk, the monkeys always preferred the cloth mother
- When scared the mother would seek comfort in the cloth mother and could build up courage to threaten say thing
- he also found that in the future the monkeys were extremely aggressive and some even ate their young or abandoned them
What is comfort contact?
When the monkey feels safe and secure due to feeling the comfort of something soft as it resembles its mother
What is the critical period in animals?
A mother figure has to be introduced to an infant within 90 days for an attachment to form. After this the damage caused by early deprivation will be irreversible
What were some of the long-lasting effects of maternal deprivation on the monkeys?
They grew up to be more aggressive, less social and some attached their own children or even killed them
According to Lorenz is imprinting reversible or irreversible?
Irreversible
What is the strength for Lorenz study?
Additional research support for imprinting- A number of other studies have demonstrated imprinting in animals. Guiton (1966)-found that chicks exposed to yellow rubber gloves whilst being fed during their first few weeks, became imprinted on the gloves. He also found that the male chickens later tried to mate with the gloves, showing that early imprinting is linked to later reproductive behaviour.
What is a limitation of Lorenz study?
Criticism of imprinting- It was accepted that imprinting is an irreversible process, whereby the object encountered was somehow stamped permanently on the nervous system. However, it is now understood that imprinting is a more ‘plastic and forgiving mechanism’ Guiton (1966)- also found that he could reverse the imprinting in chickens that had initially tried to mate with the rubber gloves. He found that later, after spending time with their own species, they were able to engage in normal sexual behaviour with other chickens.
What’s is a strength of Harlows study?
Practical implications- The insight into attachment from Harlow’s research has had important applications in a range of practical contexts. For example, it has helped social workers understand risk factors in child neglect and abuse and so intervene to prevent it. In addition the findings have been important in the care of captive monkeys- we now understand the importance of proper attachment figures for baby monkeys in zoos and also in breeding programmes in the wild.
What is a limitation of Harlow’s study?
Harlow faced severe criticisms for the ethics of his research. The baby monkeys were deliberately deprived from their mothers from birth and this created lasting emotional harm as the monkeys later found it difficult to form relationships with their peers. COUNTER-ARGUMENT: On the other hand, the experiment can be justified in terms of the significant effect it has had on our understanding of the processes of attachment and it has been used to offer better care for human (and primate) infants.
