Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow Flashcards
What was the aim of the Lorenz study on imprinting?
To investigate the processes animals undertake when they hatch, and how they follow the 1st large moving object they see.
What was the procedure of the Lorenz study?
- Lorenz split a clutch of graylag goose eggs into half and volunteered himself to be a caregiver for half, whilst the mother looked after the other half
- He put the eggs into an incubator and made sure he was the 1st object they saw
- Lorenz watched the goslings, put them all into an upturned box and observed whether they went straight to their biological mother or human one
What were the results of the Lorenz study?
- Immediately after hatching, the goslings started following their respective mothers
- Lorenz noticed how imprinting would only occur within a set time period of between 4 and 25 hours after hatching.
If the point is:
A weakness of the Lorenz study on attachment in animals is that the findings of the study cannot be generalised to groups outside of the sample used.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- The study was only conducted geese, there was no testing which involved human to human attachment.
Explanation- This means that results cannot be generalised, because we are unsure of whether humans would have given the same results as the geese, so the findings from the study cannot be used to help explain attachment relationships in humans.
Link- Therefore, the study is limited as to how far it can be used to help explain human attachment, as it lacks generalisability.
If the point is:
However
A strength of Lorenz’s study is that it can be considered high in reliability.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- The study involved clear standardised procedures, for example, the same animal was used throughout, they were split into exactly half, Lorenz ensured he was the first person that the geese saw.
Explanation- Therefore, the study can be replicated to check for accuracy in the exact same way due to the standardised procedures that were used within.
Link- This implies that the Lorenz study is high in reliability due to the standardised procedures that allow the study to be repeated and checked for accuracy.
If the point is:
A weakness of Lorenz’s study is that it lacks ecological validity.
What is the explanation and link?
Explanation- The findings from the study can’t be applied to real life human attachments. This is due to the fact that humans are more cognitively complex, making it very difficult to compare findings.
Link- This implies that the practical applications of the study are limited, due to there being such a difference in cognitive levels between animals and humans.
If the point is:
A weakness of Lorenz’s study is that there are ethical issues with it.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- For example, the goslings under Lorenz’s care had been taken from their mother and, although an incubator is a safe environment, being put in an incubator is not their natural environment.
Explanation- Altering factors like this may lead to a difference in the growth of the goslings, as the half which saw Lorenz first may have showed difference in their attachments and attachment towards their biological mother too.
Link- This may imply that the ethical issues lead to a difference in the reactions of the goslings and the overall findings.
What was the aim of Harlow’s study on maternal deprivation?
To test the learning theory of attachment and determine whether comfort or food was the more important attachment factor.
What was the procedure of Harlow’s study?
- The study involved 2 types of surrogate mother: a ‘wire’ monkey and a ‘soft’ monkey
- The sample was 16 rhesus monkeys who were split into groups of 4 and placed into 4 conditions:
- A cage containing a wire mother producing milk and a towelling mother producing no milk
- A cage containing a wire mother producing no milk and a towelling mother producing milk
- A cage containing a wire mother producing milk
- A cage containing a towelling mother producing milk - The monkeys were frightened by a loud sound to test for mother preference during stress
- A larger cage was also used to determine how much exploring the monkeys would do
What were the results of Harlow’s study?
- The monkeys who were only with a wire monkey were the only monkeys to have diarrhoea, a sign of stress, suggesting they weren’t comforted.
- The monkeys preferred contact with the towelling mother, regardless of whether she produced milk.
What was the conclusion of Harlow’s study?
Rhesus monkeys have an innate need for seeking comfort, suggesting that comfort is more important in determining attachments than food, refuting the learning theory.
If the point is:
A weakness of Harlow’s study is that the findings cannot be generalised.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- The study was only conducted on monkeys, meaning that the findings cannot be applied to groups outside of this sample and also cannot help to explain attachment relationships in humans.
Link- This implies that the study is limited in how far it can help to explain attachment in humans, so the findings cannot be generalised to people, and just animals.
If the point is:
A strength of Harlow’s study is that it is high in reliability.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- Harlow’s study on maternal deprivation involved clear standardised procedures, such as using 2 types of surrogate mother, having 4 groups of 4, and using 4 different conditions throughout.
Explanation- Due to these standardised procedures, it’ll allow the study to be replicated in order to check if the results are consistent and accurate. By replicating the study, everything would have to be kept the same, and by following the procedures it’ll allow for more accuracy.
Link- Therefore, with the study having greater levels of reliability, it allows the study to be repeated over time to check the findings for accuracy.
If the point is:
A weakness of Harlow’s study is that there are ethical issues within it.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- Throughout the study the monkeys underwent some severe signs of stress which were shown physically, for example, suffering from diarrhoea when being with the wire monkey, implying that they were not comforted.
Explanation- These signs of stress may have had a large impact on the findings of the study, due to the monkeys being affected physically.
Link- This suggests that the ethical issues may lead to a difference in the findings due to the monkeys going through severe stress and acting different as a result.
What are the evaluation points for Lorenz’s study?
— Findings of the study cannot be generalised to groups outside of the sample used
+ Can be considered to have high reliability
— Lacks ecological validity
— Has ethical issues
