Animal studies of Attachment

Question 1

What did Lorenz aim to find out in his research?

Answer 1

Lorenz aimed to investigate the role of imprinting in the formation of attachment.

Question 2

What was Lorenz’s procedure?

Answer 2

• he took a clutch of goslings eggs and divided them into two groups. One was left with their birth mother and the other group was marked and left in the incubator.
• Lorenz noted that the gosling’s had imprinted on him as they began to follow him, showing no recognition of their birthmother. The eggs that hatched in front of their birth mother, followed her.

Question 3

what were Lorenz’s findings?

Answer 3

Lorenz found that imprinting is restricted to a definitive time called a ‘critical period’ (for goslings, a few hours after hatching)

Question 4

what did Lorenz conclude?

Answer 4

• Lorenz concluded that imprinting is an irreversible and long-lasting process later affecting sexual mate choice.
• imprinting is a process similar oy attachment allowing young animals to form a bond and special relationship with their caregiver.

Question 5

what is meant by imprinting?

Answer 5

the innate readiness to form a bond with the first object and precocial animal encountered.

Question 6

what are some strengths of Lorenz’s research? (AO3)

Answer 6

-lots of evidence to support the role of imprinting
Guiton (1966) demonstrated that Leghorn chicks, exposed to a yellow rubber glove for feeding during the first few weeks became imprinted on the glove.
Showed that infant animals aren’t born with a predisposition to imprint on a specific object but rather on any moving object that is present in the critical window of development.

Question 7

What are some weaknesses of Lorenz’s research? (AO3)

Answer 7

-ethically wrong

Question 8

who are the two researchers that look into animal attachments?

Answer 8

Lorenz and Harlow

Question 9

what did Harlow Aim to find out from his research?

Answer 9

Harlow aimed to investigate whether the attachment was based upon comfort as opposed to feeding.

Question 10

what was Harlow’s procedure?

Answer 10

• Harlow created tow ‘mothers’- one being wire and one being made of cloth.
• 8 rhesus monkeys were studied over a period of 165 days.
• Four of the monkey’s bottles was with the cloth monkey, and for the other 4, it was on the wire monkey.
• during this duration, measurements were made on the amount of time spent with each ‘mother’
• Observations were also made of the monkey’s response to fear e.g mechanical bears.

Question 11

what were Harlow’s findings?

Answer 11

• All 8 monkeys spent most time with-the cloth mother (whether or not it had the feeding bottle)
• Those who fed from the wire mother would only spend a short amount of time with it before returning to the cloth mother.
• when Frightened, all monkeys clung to the cloth mother.
• when playing with new objects, the infants would often keep one foot on the cloth mother- seemingly for reassurance.

Question 12

what were Harlow’s conclusions?

Answer 12

• ***The critical period before damage is irreversible (6 months)
• the animals became socially abnormal later in life
• they Showed signs of abnormal mating behaviour

Question 13

what are some strengths of Harlows research (AO3)?

Answer 13

proved Importance of the critical period of an infants life and how the effects are irreversible.

Question 14

what are some weaknesses of Harlow’s research (AO3)?

Answer 14

-held major ethical implications
long term concequences for infant animals (irreversible)
therefor questions had to-be raised upon whether it was worth-it (animals have diff brain chemistry to Humans so did we learn anything about human attachments?