Animal studies of attachment Flashcards
What is imprinting according to Lorenz?
A form of attachment in which some bird species attach to the first moving object they see, usually within a critical period after hatching.
Describe the procedure of Lorenz’s goose experiment.
Lorenz divided goose eggs into two groups: one hatched with the mother, the other in an incubator with Lorenz as the first moving object.
What were the findings of Lorenz’s goose experiment?
Geese imprinted on and followed the first moving object they saw—either Lorenz or their biological mother.
What is sexual imprinting?
When birds imprint on a species and later show mating behaviours toward that species, e.g., a peacock raised with tortoises trying to court tortoises.
strength of LORENZ’S RESEARCH
One strength of Lorenz’s research is the existence of support for the concept of imprinting.
A study by Lucia Regolin and Giorgio Vallortigara (1995) supports Lorenz’s idea of imprinting. Chicks were exposed to simple shape combinations that moved, such as a triangle with a rectangle in front. A range of shape combinations were then moved in front of them and they followed the original most closely.
This supports the view that young animals are born with an innate mechanism to imprint on a moving obiect present in the critical window of develonment. as predicted bv Lorenz
limitation of LORENZ’S RESEARCH
One limitation of Lorenz’s studies is the ability to generalise findings and conclusions from birds to humans.
The mammalian attachment system is quite different and more complex than that in birds. For example, in mammals attachment is a two-way process, so it is not just the young who become attached to their mothers but also the mammalian mothers show an emotional attachment to their young.
This means that it is probably not appropriate to generalise Lorenz’s ideas to humans.
What was the aim of Harlow’s monkey study?
To investigate whether food or comfort was more important in forming attachments.
Describe Harlow’s experiment.
Baby monkeys were raised with two wire mothers—one dispensing milk and the other covered in soft cloth.
What did Harlow find about contact comfort?
Monkeys preferred the cloth-covered mother and sought comfort from it, even if it didn’t provide milk.
What were the long-term effects of maternal deprivation in Harlow’s monkeys?
Monkeys were aggressive, unsociable, poor at mating, and often abusive or neglectful as mothers.
What is Harlow’s critical period for attachment?
Attachment had to form within 90 days, or it became impossible, causing permanent damage.
What does Harlow’s study suggest about the role of food in attachment?
Comfort and emotional security are more important than food in forming attachments.
strength of HARLOW’S RESEARCH
One strength of Harlow’s research is its important real-world applications.
For example, it has helped social workers and clinical psychologists understand that a lack of bonding experience may be a risk factor in child development allowing them to intervene to prevent poor outcomes (Howe 1998). We also now understand the importance of attachment figures for baby monkeys in zoos and breeding programmes in the wild
This means that the value of Harlow’s research is not just theoretical but also practical.
limitation of HARLOW’S RESEARCH
One limitation of Harlow’s research is the ability to generalise findings and conclusions from monkeys to humans.
Rhesus monkeys are much more similar to humans than Lorenz’s birds, and all mammals share some common attachment behaviours. However, the human brain and human behaviour is still more complex than that of monkeys.
This means that it may not be appropriate to generalise Harlow’s findings to humans.
