Animal Studies of attachment : KEY STUDIES Flashcards
What was the aim of the Harlow’s monkeys study?
To investigate if food was the basis of attachment.
Explain the procedure of the Harlow’s monkeys study.
Infant monkeys were separated from their mothers immediately after birth and were raised in isolation. Two artificial serrogate mothers were placed in with the monkeys- one made of wire which held food and one made of soft cotton which held no food. Harlow did 2 experiments to scare the monkeys in order to investigate which mother the monkeys would go to for comfort.
What type of experiment is Harlow’s monkeys?
A lab experiment.
Describe the findings and conclusions of Harlow’s monkeys.
- Found that “contact/tactile comfort”
is the basis of forming an attachment. - The infant monkeys formed an attachment with the more comfortable mother for comfort and safety.
- When the monkeys were scared they ran to the cotton mother for comfort.
How can we use the issue of confounding variables to criticise Harlow’s studies?
- Conclusions of this study lack internal validity as the 2 stimulus objects varied in more ways than just being wire/ cloth (cloth monkey had a more detailed monkey- like face).
What is the problem with using non - human animals in research?
- The aim of these animal tested studies are to be able to generalise the findings to human behaviour but humans differ to animals.
- Human behaviour is the result of conscious decisions whereas animal behaviour is more subconscious (cognitive differences).
What ethical issues arise from Harlow’s research?
- Study created long term lasting emotional harm on the monkeys as they found it difficult later on to form relationships and to mate.
- Monkeys became more aggressive towards one another and were found to be bad parents.
What was the aim of Lorenz’s imprinting study?
To test his theory of imprinting.
Describe the procedure of Lorenz’s study.
He separated a group of gosling eggs into 2 groups. He put one group with the biological mother and put the other group into an incubator so that the first moving thing they saw was Lorenz. The incubator group imprinted onto him. When both groups were out together with Lorenz and the mother present, they separated themselves and followed who they had imprinted on. These bonds proved irreversible.
Describe the findings and conclusions of Lorenz’s study.
Imprinting is a form of attachment, exhibited mainly by nidifugous birds, whereby close contact is kept with the first large moving object encountered.
How is Guiton’s research supportive of Lorenz’s imprinting theory?
- Research with leghorn chicks and yellow rubber gloves for feeding supports Lorenz’s theory by showing that when the chicks were exposed to the yellow gloves within their first few weeks they imprinted on them.
- Young animals are not born with a predisposition to imprint on a specific type of object but on probably any moving object present within their first moments.
What further aspect of imprinting theory did Guiton’s research go on to challenge?
- It challenged the original concept of imprinting by finding that he could reverse the imprinting in chickens who had initially tried to mate with the rubber gloves.
- Found that after spending more time with their own species they were able to engage in normal sexual behaviour.
