Animal Studies of Attachment Flashcards
What are the two main key animal studies?
Lorenz (1952)
Harlow (1958)
What was Lorenz (1952) procedure?
- Divided 12 goose eggs
- Half hatched in an incubator
- Half hatched in their natural environment
- Imprinted on whatever object was seen first
- Mixed all the gosling up to see who they would follow
- Observed their later courtship behaviours
Who studied goslings?
Lorenz
When did Lorenz study goslings?
1952
Who studied monkeys?
Harlow
When did Harlow study monkeys?
1958
What are the finding of Lorenz?
- Control group followed mother
- Incubator goslings followed Lorenz
- Critical period in imprinting
- Sexual imprinting occurs
What was the findings of Harlow (1958)?
- Baby monkeys preferred comfort over food
- Those deprived of real mother shown to be more aggressive, less sociable and less skilled (some killed their own children when they had them)
What was the procedure of Harlow (1958)?
- 16 monkeys
- Wired monkey with milk
- Wired monkey covered in cloths
- Monkeys preferences were measured
- Longitudinal study
What is the limitation of an animal study?
Hard to be generalised to human species
What other research supported and criticised Lorenz?
Guiton (1966)
What did Guiton (1966) find?
Chick imprinting on yellow washing up cloths but when mating they found their own species to mate with
What practical application did Harlows research have?
Helped social workers understand the risks of abuse and how to intervene it
Which study had more ethical issues?
Harlow
