Animal Studies: Lorenz & Harlow TW Flashcards
“The aim of Lorenz’s research was to measure __________ in goslings”
Imprinting
Harlow found that the rhesus monkeys spent more time with the wire mother than the cloth mother - true or false?
False
Lorenz identified a critical period. How long is this?
12-17 hours after hatching
What was Harlow’s sample?
16 rhesus monkeys
HOW did Lorenz measure the critical period?
By varying the time between birth and seeing a moving object so he could measure the critical period of imprinting
What method did Harlow use?
Lab experiment
What method did Lorenz use?
Field
In Harlow’s study, both wire and cloth mother provided food - true or false?
FALSE
What was Harlow’s aim?
To investigate whether food or comfort is more important in forming attachments
How did Lorenz divide the goose eggs?
Randomly
Why did Harlow divide the goose eggs the way he did?
To avoid bias
What examples of long term effects were recorded by Harlow?
Sociability and relationships with future relationships
Harlow concluded…
Contact comfort is the most important factor when forming an attachment
How were the surrogate mothers different in Harlow’s study?
One was made of cloth which provided NO food
The other was made of wire which DID provide food
AO3: Why can Lorenz’s research be criticised for bias?
Because he recorded his OWN observations, so may have chosen to include findings that support his theory
Harlow found the monkeys spent less time with which mother?
Wire mother
Who did the experimental group imprint upon in Lorenz’s study?
Lorenz
Who did the control group imprint upon in Lorenz’s study?
Their natural mother (goose)
What are 2 conclusions from Lorenz’s study…
- Goslings imprint on first thing they see
- There is a specific time period for attachment to take place, otherwise they will not attach
Harlow’s study took place in what type of environment?
Controlled / lab setting
Lorenz’s study took place in what type of environment?
Natural environment / field experiment
AO3: BOTH Lorenz and Harlow can be criticised for what issue?
Animal bias
AO3: Lorenz and Harlow can be criticised for animal bias because…
They used samples of ONLY animals - geese / rhesus monkeys
AO3: Animal bias is an issue because it means…
We may not be able to extrapolate / generalise findings to humans
AO3: Both Lorenz and Harlow’s research can be praised for having…
Practical applications
Lorenz studied attachment in gosling - true or false
False - Lorenz measured imprinting
AO3: Why may Lorenz’s research have low internal validity?
As there may be researcher bias as Lorenz recorded his own observations
AO3: What 2 reasons may mean Harlow’s research has low external validity?
- Controlled environment - may not be generalisable to real life
- Animal bias - may not be generalisable to humans as human attachment more complex
Harlow found that the rhesus monkeys spent more time with…
Cloth mother
AO3: Why may Lorenz’s research suffer from poor external validity?
Animal bias
Identify the IV in Harlow’s research
IV = the surrogate mother; cloth providing no food or wire providing food
Identify the DV in Lorenz’s research;
DV = imprinting behaviours in geese
Identify the IV in Lorenz’s research
IV = whether the geese hatched and saw their mother first, or Lorenz
Identify the DV in Harlow’s research
DV = time spent with each surrogate mother
Who conducted a lab experiment into animal attachment?
Harlow
AO3: Lorenz recorded his own findings. Why is this an issue?
Bias - lowers the internal validity.
AO3: Apart from animal bias, how else can we criticise Harlow’s research?
Ethical issues
AO3: Why did Harlow’s research suffer from ethical issues?
As the rhesus monkeys suffered psychological and emotional harm
In what ways did the rhesus monkeys suffer psychological and emotional harm in Harlow’s research?
The rhesus monkeys were scared with loud noises, bullied by other monkeys, and found difficulties mating and raising their own offspring
AO3: Why may Lorenz’s research have high external validity?
As it was a field experiment, taking place in a natural environment
