Animal studies of attachment - Lorenz Flashcards
What year was Lorenz’ study on the attachment of geese?
1935
What type of geese were used in Lorenz’ study?
Greylag geese
What is imprinting?
Geese automatically attaching to the first moving object they see after hatching and follow it
What was the methodology for Lorenz’ study?
He divided the eggs up into two groups, leaving one with the mother and the other in the incubator with Lorenz being the first large moving object they see. He put the geese together and then observed when they were released, finding that those who had imprinted on Lorenz followed him and those who had imprinted on the mother followed the mother goose
What time period did Lorenz say imprinting was most likely to happen? What is this time period called?
Between 13 and 16 hours
Critical period
What did Lorenz say imprinting was?
Permanent and irreversible
What evidence is there that imprinting is permanent?
As adult birds, they tried to mate with humans
What happened to the geese after the critical period if they hadn’t imprinted?
They were unable to do so after the critical period
Can the findings from the study be generalised to humans?
No, two different species - Babies dont imprint on midwives.
What type of species did Lorenz use in his study? Why does this create issues with generalising to humans?
Precocial species - they can walk from birth and don’t need support
Humans are altricial - they need help and support, cant walk til later on in life
What is an advantage of using animals to study human attachments?
Some research designs couldn’t have humans as the participants due to ethical concerns
What is a disadvantage of using animals to study human attachments?
Unethical to induce psychological stress on animals and they can’t give consent
