animal studies of attachment

Question 1

Lorenz Study:

procedure

Answer 1

• studied imprinting with 12 geese eggs
• half of the eggs were kept with the mother and half were kept in an incubator with Lorenz
• he mixed the goslings together and observed who they followed

Question 2

Lorenz Study:

Findings

Answer 2

• the geese from the incubator followed lorenz and the geese with he mother followed th mother
• lorenz identified a critical period where importing or sexual importing must happen

Question 3

Harlow study:

aim

Answer 3

• study contact comfort with 12 rhesus monkeys and 2 wire mothers
• he also tested their reaction to frightening situations like novel objects and sounds

Question 4

Harlow study:

procedure

Answer 4

• in one experiment milk was given to the money through the plain wire monkey
• in the other milk was given through a wire monkey covered with a soft cloth
• also compared monkeys deprived of mother into adulthood

Question 5

Harlow study:

findings

Answer 5

• monkeys cuddled the cloth mother regardless of milk or contact
• shows contact comfort more important than food
• monkeys also go to cloth mother when frightened
• deprived monkeys are aggressive, don’t mate or socialise, sometimes neglect offspring

Question 6

lorenz negative evaluation:

generalizing findings from birds to humans

Answer 6

• mammalian attachment system different from bird ones
• e.g mammal mothers show more emotional attachment
• means it’s not appropriate to generalize Lorenz’s ideas to humans

Question 7

Lorenz positive evaluation:

supporting research for the concept of imprinting

Answer 7

• Guiton (1966) found chicks imprint of yellow washing gloves and would try to mate as adults
• suggests animals born with an innate mechanism to imprint on moving object during the critical period

Question 8

Harlow positive evaluation:

improtant practical application

Answer 8

• helped social workers understand risk factors in child abuse so better at preventing (Howe 1998)
• also now understand the importance of attachment figures for baby monkeys in zoos and breeding in the wild
• usefulness increases its value

Question 9

Harlow negative evaluation:

criticism for ethics of the research

Answer 9

• rhesus monkeys similar to humans so results generalized but means they suffer the same as we would
• harlow aware of suffering - wire mother named iron maiden after a medieval torture
• although Harlow’s research was significant enough to justify the procedures