Animal Studies Flashcards
Lorenz
Aim: To investigate the mechanisms of imprinting where the young follow and form an attachment to the first large moving object they meet.
Method: Goose eggs split into two groups
One hatched naturally with mother and others hatched with Lorenz.
Results: Followed the object seen immediately after birth.
Irreversible bonds, between 4-25 hours after hatching.
Conclusion: Imprinting is a form of attachment, exhibited by nidifugous birds whereby close contact is kept with the first large moving object they see.
Harlow
Aim: to test if learning theory of attachment by comparing behaviour in baby monkeys given a wire surrogate mother producing milk with those given a soft cloth monkey without producing milk.
Method: Two types of surrogate mothers tested both with and without milk.
The recorded amount of time monkeys spent with each condition tested which mother preferred during stressful times.
Results: Monkeys preferred the cloth mother, even has milk from wire mother while clinging to cloth mother. Monkeys with just a wire mother were stressed and clung to cloth mother when stressed.
Conclusion: Rhesus monkeys have an innate unlearned need for contact comfort, suggesting that attachment concerns emotional security more than food.
Learning Theory of Attachment
MAIN IDEA: Children learn to become attached to their caregiver as they give them food. Cupboard Love.
>Classical Conditioning, learning by association.
A baby experiences a continued pairing of NS care-giver and UCS food which brings a UCR of happiness begins to associate feelings of happiness with a caregiver.
>Operant Conditioning, learning by reinforcement.
1. Infant experiences hunger, causing discomfort which causes behaviour that will attract a caregiver.
2. The comfort provided by food (positive reinforcement)
Primary Reinforcement.
3. Mother source of food. Infant wants to be with mother. Secondary Reinforcement
Lorenz
Evaluation
> INFLUENTIAL FINDINGS
Imprinting is irreversible suggests the ability is under biological control. THerefore lead to the development of theories in attachment, that it is formed in a critical period and is a biological process.
Theories that have influenced child care today.
EXTRAPOLATION
Lorenz’s study can be criticized for extrapolation, eg. Lorenz conducted the study on imprinting in geese, therefore humans and animals have huge psychological differences, can’t generalise findings.
CONTRADICTIONS
Other findings have contradicted Lorenz, eg. Guiton et al. found chickens imprinted on yellow gloves would try to mate with them but more on to other chickens when failed. Therefore the impact of imprinting on mating is not irreversible.
Harlow Evaluation
> HIGH INTERNAL VALIDITY
Harlow conducted his experiment in a laboratory setting, therefore, he was able to control potential extraneous variables such as monkeys were taken straight from mothers at birth. Consequently, Harlow measured exactly what he intended to therefore the study has High Internal Validity. A cause and effect was established.
LACKS ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY
Conducted in an artificial setting does not reflect real life may cause artificial behaviour,.
UNETHICAL
Harlow’s monkeys experienced great distress and were removed from biological mother, could not interact with other monkeys as a result. Breaches BP’s guidelines.
Learning Theory of Attachment
Evaluation
> CONTRADICTING EVIDENCE
Harlows study.
Schaffer and Emerson
-disproves social learning theory as it shows bonds form with those who responded to baby’s signals, not just who feeds them.
ENVIRONMENTALLY DETERMINISTIC
Suggests attachment inevitably form with a caregiver that proves food, this is no the case as demonstrated by Harlow and Schaffer and Emerson.
Reductionist
Reduces a complex set of behaviours down to a single cause (food). In reality, sensitive responsiveness has been shown to be more important. Involving a wide range of behaviours.
