Animal studies of attachment past paper improvements

Question 1

Briefly outline the findings of 1 animal study of attachment and explain 1 criticism of the study (4)

Answer 1

Lorenz - Greylag geese imprinted on the first thing they saw
Generalisability to humans - Mammalian attachment system different to birds attachment system, e.g. mammalian mothers show more emotional attachment to young than birds. Not appropriate to generalise any of Lorenz’s ideas to humans

Question 2

Outline how Lorenz and Harlow studied attachment using animals (6)

Answer 2

Lorenz - Geese eggs randomly divided, 1/2 hatched w/ mother present in natural environment, 1/2 hatched in incubator w/ Lorenz present, behaviour of all goslings recorded
Harlow - In controlled environment, infant monkeys reared w/ 2 mother surrogates, plain wire mother dispensing food, cloth-covered mother w/ no food, time spent w/ each mother recorded, long-term effects recorded (socialibility, relationship to offspring, etc)

Question 3

Outline and evaluate research into the effects of failure to form attachment (16)

Answer 3

Harlow’s research - Early maternal deprivation had severe effects. Monkeys reared w/ wire mothers only = more dysfunctional. More agressive, less socialable, unskilled at mating. As mothers, some neglected their young, others attacked their children, killing them in some cases
- Ethical issues - Monkeys greatly suffered. Species similar enough to humans to generalise findings so can generalise suffering to humans. Harlow was aware of suffering, referred to wire mothers as “iron maidens” after a medieval torture device. Research was sufficiently important to justify the effects
+ Practical valu e- Helped socail workers understand risk factors in child neglect and abuse, can intervene to prevent it Howe 1998). Important in care of captive monkeys, now understand importance of proper atatchment figures for baby monkeys in zoos and in breeding programmes in the wild
- Although monkeys more similar to humans than Lorenz’s geese, still not human. Psychologists disagree on the extent to which studies of non-human primates can be generalised to humans