Animal Studies Flashcards
What is imprinting
An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the first moving object seen which normally takes place during the first few hours after birth
What are long-lasting effects of imprinting
It affects 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 which shows evidence for imprinting
Lorenz (1952)
Describe the procedure and findings of Lorenz’s study
- split a clutch of geese- one half hatched with mother and other hatched in an incubator- Lorenz was the first moving object they encountered
- Lorenz recorded their behaviour
-naturally hatched goslings followed mother, incubator ones followed Lorenz
Which study showed evidence of attachment is not based on the feeding bond
Harlow (1958)
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 time the damage caused by early deprivation is irreversible
Describe the procedure and findings of Harlow’s study
-reared 16 baby monkeys with two wire ‘mothers’
- condition 1= wire mother dispensed milk
- condition 2= cloth mother dispensed milk
- measured time spent with each mother and observed reactions of monkeys when frightened
- regardless of which mother dispensed milk, monkeys always preferred the cloth mother
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 attacked their own children or even killed them
According to Lorenz is imprinting in reversible or irreversible
Irreversible
