animal studies Flashcards
what was Lorenz researching?
he investigated imprinting, this is when species that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first moving object they see
what was Lorenz procedure to investigate animal studies?
- lorenz took a clutch of gosling eggs and divided them into two groups- one left with the natural mother whilst others were placed in an incubator
- the first things seen by those who hatched in their natural environment was their mother
- the first thing seen by those who hatched in the incubator was Lorenz
what was Lorenz’ findings to the animal studies?
- the incubator group (experimental group) followed lorenz everywhere, whereas the mother group (control group) followed the mother everywhere
- even when they were mixed up, they still quickly found there way to Lorenz or the mother group, respectively
- Lorenz called this imprinting and noted that imprinting occurred in a very tight, specific window of the young animals life (the first 2 days) and to a persistently present moving object. this suggested a ‘critical period’
- he claimed that imprinting was long lasting and irreversible
- also, it had an effect on later mate preference
AO3: how is -supporting evidence’ a strength to Lorenz’ animal studies?
Guition (1966) found evidence of imprinting in leghorn chicks. during their first few weeks they were exposed to yellow rubber gloves for feeding. they became imprinted on the gloves. this shows support for the idea that young animals are born with a predisposition to imprint on any moving thing. these chicks also later tried to mate with the gloves, showing links to later reproductive behaviour.
However, the chicks did eventually learn to prefer mating with other chicks. this suggests that imprinting may not be irreversible as long as they are taken away before it’s too late. also the learning experience is more important in attachment formation.
AO3: how is ‘generalisability to humans’ a limitation to Lorenz’ animal studies?
to what extent can we generalise the findings from research into birds to humans? for example, mammalian mothers show more emotional attachment to their young than do birds; and mammals have been shown to be able to develop attachment at any time, albeit it less easy.
this suggests that these findings have low ecological validity because the findings cant be generalised beyond the research setting within which they were found.
what did Harlow want to investigate?
he wanted to show that a mothers love is not based on the feeding bond
what was Harlow procedures in his animal studies?
- harlow created two wire monkeys (each with a different head)
- one was wrapped in a soft cloth
- 16 baby monkeys were raised with these two wire monkeys, half in each condition
- in one condition milk was dispensed by the wire, only one. in the other condition, milk was dispensed by the soft cloth surrogate mother
what were Harlows findings in his animal studies?
- it showed that the monkeys preferred to cuddle the cloth monkey and sought comfort with the cloth monkey when it was scared, regardless of which one dispensed milk
- this showed that ‘contact comfort’ was important when it came to developing attachments
- all of these monkeys were followed into adulthood. all suffered from being deprived of a ‘real mother’, showing more aggression; being less social, and breeding less.
- Harlow concluded that there was a ‘critical period’- the mother figure had to be introduced within 90 days for an attachment to form.
- after this, no attachment was able to form and the damage done by the deprivation was irreversible.
AO3: how is ‘real life application’ a strength to Harlows animal studies?
the understanding of attachment we have gained from Harlows research has important practical applications in a variety of contexts.
for example, his research can be used in the designs of zoos and care of animals in shelters. the research showed the importance of intellectual stimulation and contact comfort. this ensures that zoos give animals the opportunity to form such attachments in order to ensure healthy development.
Howe (1988) said that it also has helped social workers understand risk factors in child neglect and abuse and so they can intervene to prevent it
AO3: how is ‘generalisability to humans’ a limitation to Harlows animal studies?
Rhesus monkeys are or similar to humans than birds , and all mammals, so they share some common attachment behaviours. however, the human brain and human behaviour are very complex, so its questionable whether the findings and conclusions can be applied.
this suggests that these findings of monkeys clinging to cloth-covered wire models do not reflect the emotional connections and interaction that then characterise human attachments
