animal studies of attachment Flashcards
1
Q
outline what is meant by imprinting
A
- innate readiness to create a strong bond with the mother
- takes place a few hours after birth
2
Q
outline the procedure of Lorenz’s study
A
- goslings divided into two groups
- one left with natural mother and one left with Lorenzo to see him first
- Lorenz marked his goslings and put them with the rest of the group to test the effect of imprinting
3
Q
outline the findings of Lorenz’s study
A
- Lorenzo’s goslings showed no recognition towards actual mother
- they followed Lorenz
- concluded imprinting has to take place in a critical period and if it doesn’t happen in this period then it won’t happen at all
4
Q
outline the long-lasting effects of Lorenzo’s study
A
- imprinting is long-lasting and irreversible
- later effects on mate preferences
- animals choose to mate with the object upon which they were imprinted
5
Q
outline what Harlow aimed to demonstrate
A
- that attachment wasn’t based on the feeding bond between mother and child as predicted by the learning theory of attachment
6
Q
outline the procedure of Harlow’s study
A
- created to model monkeys each with different heads
- one was bare wire and the other covered in cloth
- for four of the monkeys the cloth model held the bottle
- other four monkeys had bottle on the wire model
- measured how long the infants spent with each mother
- observed infants responses when frightened of a robot
7
Q
outline the findings of Harlow’s study
A
- all monkeys spent the most time with the cloth model
- if wire model held the bottle they only stayed there long enough to feed
- when frightened all monkeys sought comfort in the cloth model
8
Q
what do the findings of Harlow’s study suggest
A
infants form attachments with person offering comfort rather than person who feeds them
9
Q
outline the long-lasting effects of Harlow’s study
A
- monkeys grew up to be socially and sexually abnormal
- there was a critical period for the effects
- spending more than six months with the wire monkey meant they weren’t able to recover from
- if they spent time with other monkeys before 3 months old they were able to recover
10
Q
explain a strength of Lorenzo’s study
A
- further research has found evidence of animal imprinting
- research found chicks imprinted on gloves used to feed them when they were born
- supports that young animals are born with the predisposition to imprint during the critical window
- provides clear support for Lorenzo’s study and therefore is reliable
11
Q
explain a limitation of Lorenzo’s study
A
- original thought that imprinting is irreversible has been criticised
- research found the imprinting of chicks to gloves could be reversed by spending time with their own species
- challenges Lorenzo’s argument or irreversible imprinting
- suggests imprinting is no different from other types of learning
12
Q
explain a limitation of Harlow’s study regarding the procedure
A
- there were cofounding variables
- the heads on surrogate mothers were different
- could mean the cloth-covered head was more attractive to infants because it was more visually pleasing
- study lacks validity as differences between surrogate mothers weren’t controlled
13
Q
explain a limitation of Harlow’s study in terms of ethics
A
- should it have been carried out with monkeys
- humans are more complex and developed so able to form deeper attachments and perform different cognitive functions
- monkeys not as developed in terms of language so hard to study role of language in human attachments
- results of animal studies should be viewed with caution
14
Q
explain a strength of Harlow’s study
A
- findings have been mirrored in humans
- findings that humans are more attached to those who provide care was demonstrated in the work of Schaffer and Emerson
- although animal studies provide useful foundations, we should seek confirmation through human research
