animal studies of attachment Flashcards
Who was one of the most prominent ethologists who studied animal attachment?
Konrad Lorenz
What phenomenon did Lorenz first observe as a child?
Imprinting
What is imprinting?
A form of learning where young animals follow and form an attachment to the first moving object they see
Describe Lorenz’s procedure for studying imprinting.
He randomly divided goose eggs into two groups: one hatched with the mother, and the other hatched in an incubator with Lorenz as the first moving object they saw
What was the main finding of Lorenz’s imprinting experiment?
Goslings imprinted on the first moving object they saw, following either their mother or Lorenz
What happened when Lorenz mixed the two groups of goslings together?
They separated to follow the object they had imprinted on.
What is the critical period for imprinting according to Lorenz?
Imprinting must occur within a few hours of hatching, or it will not happen
What is sexual imprinting?
When birds imprinted on a human would later display courtship behavior toward humans.
Describe Lorenz’s case study with a peacock and a tortoise.
A peacock reared in a reptile house imprinted on giant tortoises and later displayed courtship behavior toward them.
What is one limitation of Lorenz’s studies?
Difficulty generalizing findings from birds to humans.
What is one strength of Lorenz’s research?
Research support from studies like Regolin and Vallortigara (1995) showing chicks imprinting on moving objects.
What is one application of Lorenz’s findings to human behavior?
The concept of ‘imprinting’ has been used to explain attachment behaviours, such as in ‘baby duck syndrome’
Who carried out important animal research with monkeys on attachment?
Harry Harlow
Why did Harlow use monkeys instead of birds?
Monkeys are more similar to humans than birds.
What did Harlow observe about newborn monkeys kept alone in a cage?
They usually died unless given something soft to cuddle.
Describe Harlow’s procedure for studying attachment.
Baby monkeys were given two surrogate mothers: one wire with milk and one cloth without milk.
What did Harlow find about the monkeys’ preference?
Monkeys preferred the cloth mother for comfort, even if the wire mother provided food
What was the importance of ‘contact comfort’ in Harlow’s findings?
Contact comfort was more important than food in forming attachment.
What happened to maternally deprived monkeys as adults?
They showed severe social and emotional problems, including aggression and difficulty mating
What did Harlow conclude about the critical period for attachment?
Attachment must form within 90 days, or the damage is irreversible
What is one real-world value of Harlow’s research?
It helps social workers and psychologists understand the effects of child neglect and abuse.
What is one limitation of generalizing Harlow’s findings?
Monkeys are more similar to humans than birds, but differences still exist between species
What ethical issues are associated with Harlow’s research?
Monkeys suffered long-term distress, raising ethical concerns
What is one strength of Harlow’s research?
It has important practical applications for understanding human attachment.
