animal studies of attachment: lorenz (1935) imprinting

Question 1

imprinting

Answer 1

form pf attachment where offspring (esp. precocial animals) follow the 1st large moving object they see after birth

Question 2

how long does the offspring have to imprint/form an attachment
(critical period)

Answer 2

32 hours
–> otherwise it is unlikely an attachment will form

Question 3

why would imprinting be beneficial for short-term survival (examples)

Answer 3

• to not go near predators
• avoid dangerous situations
• what to/what not to eat
• how to swim
• learn how to catch prey

Question 4

aim of lorenz (1935)

Answer 4

investigate theory of imprinting on baby geese during the critical period for precocial species

Question 5

method

Answer 5

• divided clutch of eggs in 2 halves
• 1 half hatched w/ mother = control grp
• other half hatched in incubator - 1st moving thing = lorenz (experimental grp)
• marked goslings to indicate grp
• put all in upturned box & observed who they went to when let out

Question 6

results

Answer 6

• incubator = followed lorenz everywhere
• control = followed mother

Question 7

conclusion

Answer 7

• identified critical period where imprinting must occur (depends on species)
• imprinting is instinctive as it’s pre-programmed behaviour
  –> increases chance of survival & if attachment didn’t occur in critical period = unlikely to ever occur

Question 8

evaluation of lorenz AO3

Answer 8

-)
P: not generalisable to humans
E: eg. mammalian attachment is diff./more complex than birds & for instance, it is 2-way as mothers show emotional attachment to young
T: reduces validity of research as it has limited generalisability/application

+)
P: reliable
E: eg. regolin & vallortigara (1995) exposed chicks to simple shape combinations that moved (eg. triangle w/ rectangle in front). range of shape combos moved in front & they followed original most closely
T: research has been replicated & is reliable explanation for animal attachment (imprinting)

+)
P: practical application
E: eg. seebach (2005) suggests computer users exhibit ‘baby duck syndrome’ - attachment formed to 1st computing operating system & leads them to reject others
T: increases value of research in society & can be applied to real world

+)
P: high validity
E: eg. research was field experiment = high ecological validity
T: accurate piece of research on attachment & is reliable

-)
P: ethical implications
E: eg. goslings unable to decide if they wanted to participate & thus, no right to withdraw
T: experiment is unethical & doesn’t adhere to ethical guidelines - also, no protection from harm