Animal Studies Of Attachment Flashcards
What was the aim of lorenz’s study
To investigate the mechanisms of imprinting
What was the procedure of lorenz’s study
Hatched one batch of goslings with him and not the natural mother, labelled them and placed them under a box and when the box was removed they went to Lorenz and not the natural mother
What is the critical period
The time in which attachment must occur
When did Lorenz say the critical period was
Between 12 and 17 hours
What is imprinting
a form of attachment exhibited mainly by nidifugous birds whereby close contact is kept with the first moving object encountered
What was the aim of Harlows study
to test learning theory by comparing attachment behaviour in baby monkeys given different mothers
What sample did Harlow use
16 monkeys, 4 in each condition
What was the condition of harlows study
Cage with wire mother producing milk and a towelling mother not producing milk
Cage with wire mother not producing milk and a towelling mother producing milk
Cage containing a wire mother producing milk
Cage containing a towelling mother producing milk
What was the procedure of harlows study
The monkeys were frightened with a loud noise to test for mother preference and a larger cage was used to test the monkeys degree of exploration
What was harlows findings
Monkeys preferred contact with the towelling mother. Those with only a wire surrogate showed signs of stress. When frightened monkeys clung to the towelling mother
What did Harlow conclude
Contact comfort is associated with lower levels of stress and a willingness to explore, indicating emotional security
What did Harlow say were the long term effects of attachment
Abnormal social behaviour, more aggressive, unskilled in mating, poor mothers who neglected and mistreated their own children
Evaluation for animal studies
- Results cannot be generalised to humans
- Unethical
- Humans and monkeys are similar
Evaluation: Results cannot be generalised to humans
It is questionable whether findings and conclusions can be extrapolated and applied to complex human behaviours. It is unlikely that observations of goslings following a researcher or rhesus monkeys clinging to cloth-covered wire models reflects the emotional connections and interaction that characterises human attachments.
Evaluation: unethical
The use of animals in research can be questioned on ethical grounds. It could be argued that animals have a right not to be researched/ harmed. The pursuit of academic conclusions for human benefits could be seen as detrimental to non-human species.
