Animal studies of attachment Flashcards
Who was one of the most prominent ethologists studying animal behavior in the early 20th century?
Konrad Lorenz
Lorenz is known for his work on imprinting in animals.
What phenomenon did Lorenz first observe as a child?
Imprinting
He observed this when a neighbor gave him a newly hatched duckling.
What was the procedure Lorenz used in his classic experiment on imprinting?
He randomly divided a large clutch of goose eggs, hatching half with the mother and half in an incubator.
The experimental group followed Lorenz, while the control group followed their mother.
What did Lorenz find regarding the behavior of the incubator group compared to the control group?
The incubator group followed Lorenz everywhere, while the control group followed their mother.
This demonstrated the effects of imprinting.
What is imprinting?
A phenomenon where bird species that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first moving object they see.
This is crucial for their survival.
What did Lorenz identify as critical in the process of imprinting?
A critical period for imprinting that can be as brief as a few hours after hatching or birth.
Failure to imprint during this time results in no attachment to a mother figure.
What concept did Lorenz investigate related to imprinting and adult mate preferences?
Sexual imprinting
He studied how imprinting affects future courtship behavior.
What did Lorenz observe in a peacock that had been reared among giant tortoises?
The peacock displayed courtship behavior only towards giant tortoises as an adult.
This case illustrates the concept of sexual imprinting.
True or False: Imprinting can occur at any time after hatching.
False
Imprinting must occur within a critical period shortly after hatching.
Fill in the blank: Lorenz concluded that the peacock underwent _______ after being raised with giant tortoises.
sexual imprinting
Who conducted important animal research on attachment?
Harry Harlow
Harlow’s work significantly informed our understanding of attachment through experiments with rhesus monkeys.
Which type of monkeys did Harlow use in his research?
Rhesus monkeys
Rhesus monkeys are more similar to humans than Lorenz’s birds.
What did Harlow observe about newborns kept alone in a bare cage?
They often died
Newborns survived when given something soft to cuddle.
What was the main purpose of Harlow’s 1958 experiment?
To test if a soft object serves some functions of a mother
Harlow aimed to investigate the role of comfort in attachment.
In Harlow’s experiment, what were the two types of model ‘mothers’?
Plain-wire mother and cloth-covered mother
One mother dispensed milk while the other provided comfort.
What did baby monkeys prefer during Harlow’s experiment?
The cloth-covered mother
Monkeys sought comfort from the cloth mother regardless of food source.
What did Harlow’s findings suggest about ‘contact comfort’?
It was more important than food for attachment behavior
Monkeys chose comfort over nourishment when frightened.
What were the consequences for maternally deprived monkeys as adults?
Severe dysfunction and abnormal social behavior
Deprived monkeys were more aggressive and less sociable.
What did Harlow find about monkeys raised with plain-wire mothers?
They were the most dysfunctional
These monkeys exhibited the worst social behaviors.
What did Harlow conclude about the critical period for attachment formation?
A mother figure must be introduced within 90 days
After this period, attachment becomes impossible and damage is irreversible.
Fill in the blank: Harlow’s research indicated that early maternal deprivation leads to _______ in monkeys.
permanent damage
This includes issues such as aggression and difficulty in parenting.
True or False: Monkeys reared with cloth-covered mothers developed normal social behavior.
False
Even those with cloth-covered mothers did not develop typical social behaviors.
