animal studies Flashcards
Who studied imprinting?
Lorenz
When did Lorenz first observe imprinting?
Newly hatched duckling followed him around
Describe Lorenz’s procedure
Half eggs hatched with mother goose
Half hatched where first thing they saw was Lorenz
Describe Lorenz’s findings
Incubator followed him everywhere
Control followed mother
Even when groups were mixed up
What is imprinting?
Bird species follow first moving object they see
Critical period where it must take place
Few hours after hatching
If it does not occur they do not attach to a mother figure
Describe research into sexual imprinting
Relationship between imprinting and adult mate preferences
Imprint on human - courtship behaviour to humans
Case study - peacock reared in reptile house
Peacock displayed courtship to tortoise
Lorenz Evaluation - generalisability to humans
Mammalian attachment different to birds
More emotional
Mammals show attachment later in life
Cannot generalise
Lorenz Evaluation - some observations have been questioned
Idea that imprinting permanently affects mating
Guiton - chickens that imprinted on yellow gloves would try to mate with them but eventually chose chickens
Not as permanent as believed
Who researched the importance of contact comfort?
Harlow
Describe Harlow’s procedure
Tested idea that soft object can replace mother
16 baby monkeys with wire mothers
Milk dispensed by plain wire or cloth covered
Describe Harlow’s findings
Monkeys cuddled soft object not wire
Sought comfort when frightened
Contact comfort > food
Describe Harlow’s research into maternally deprived monkeys
Does maternal deprivation have permanent effect?
Reared with wire = most dysfunctional
Neither developed normal social behaviour
Aggressive, attacked young
What is the critical period for normal development?
Within 90 days
Harlow Evaluation - theoretical value
Shows attachment is not about food
Importance of quality of early relationships
Harlow Evaluation - practical value
Helped social workers understand risk factors in child neglect
Importance of attachment figures for baby monkeys
