Animal Studies

Question 1

Two Animal Studies

Answer 1

Lorenz 1952 and Harlow 1958

Question 2

Lorenz’s Procedure

Answer 2

Aim = study imprinting between newborn animals and mother.
Took half a gooses eggs and kept them in incubator by him. When hatched imitated mother duck quacking sounds so they saw him as their mother. To ensure imprinting on him put them and the ones which stayed with the mother under a box so they mixed then removed it and they went to their respective mothers.

Question 3

Lorenz’s Findings

Answer 3

Found geese followed first moving object during a 12-17 hours critical period after hatching. Early imprinting had effect on later mate preferences with them wanting to mate with same animal they printed with.

Question 4

Harlow’s Procedure

Answer 4

Aim = investigate which was more important in attachment, food or comfort.
Separated baby monkeys from mother and created two wire monkeys where one was plain and one with a cloth. Two conditions, one being where plain wire monkey gave milk and cloth didn’t and other where plain gave no milk and cloth did. Amount of time spent with each recorded. Also deliberately frighten with loud noises to record response.

Question 5

Harlow’s Findings

Answer 5

Monkeys spent more time with cloth other even when had no milk. When all frightened went to cloth on. Comfort > food. In adulthood were aggressive and less sociable and bred less. Some attacked children and even killed them. Critical period was 90 days or else damaging effects.

Question 6

Weakness (G)

Answer 6

Birds aren’t generalisable to humans.
Mammalian attachment system very different and more complex than birds. Two way process but one way for birds.
Not generalisable and Harlow’s more generalisable.
However… humans still more complex so not appropriate to generalise.

Question 7

Strength

Answer 7

Research Support.
Regolin and Vallortigara (1995) exposed chicks to simple shape combinations that moved when first hatched then different combinations but followed original more closely.
Supports idea of imprinting being innate during critical period.
Furthermore… Schaffer and Emerson found infants most attached to person who comforted them than fed, supporting Harlow.

Question 8

Weakness (E)

Answer 8

Ethical implications.
Animals suffered greatly and experienced long lasting problems effecting mating.
Less credible.
However… findings suggested that there was a critical period for attachment and so was innate which gave way for psychologists to develop this further in humans.