Animal Studies of Attachment Flashcards
What was the method in Harlow (1957)?
- Newborn monkeys were seperated from their mothers.
- Each newborn monkey was presented with two surrogate mothers.
- One surrogate was made out of wire mesh and could dispense milk.
- The other surrogate was softer and made from cloth but could not dispense milk.
What were the results of Harlow (1957)?
- The newborn monkeys preferred the softter surrogate made from cloth, even though she did not provide any nourishment.
- The newborn monkeys only went to the wire mesh surrogate when they needed to be fed.
What was concluded in Harlow (1957)?
There was more to the mother-child bond than nourishment.
What was a wider implication of Harlow (1957)?
Feelings of comfort and security are critical to maternal-infant bonding, which leads to healthy psychological development.
What is imprinting?
When an animal attaches to a moving thing, usually immediately after they hatch.
What was the method in Lorenz (1935)?
- He hatched a group of geese.
- Half of the geese were incubated.
- The other half of the geese were left with their mother.
What were the results of Lorenz (1935)?
The geese he had incubated followed him around similarly to how the geese followed their natural mother around.
How did Lorenz (1935) test his findings?
- He placed all the geese together in an upside-down box.
- When he removed the box and walked away only the imprinted geese followed him.
What was concluded in Lorenz (1935)?
- There is a critical period in which imprinting must take place.
- Generally between 13 to 16 hours after hatching.
- Imprinting is irreversible.
What was an ethical issue within Lorenz (1935)?
- Seperating the geese from their mother could have caused distress.
Does imprinting work in humans?
- Imprinting, as seen in Lorenz (1935), does not happen in humans.
- Attachment happens over a much longer time period.
- Infants can form multiple attachments.
- The attachment does not happen automatically.
