Animal Studies Of Attachments

Question 1

Define ethology

Answer 1

The study of animal behaviour can help us to understand how certain behaviours have evolved - how they aid our survival and reproduction

Question 2

Define imprinting

Answer 2

Forming an attachment to the first large moving object a younger meets

Question 3

Lorenz (1935) procedure

Answer 3

• split one clutch of goose eggs divided into two groups
• 1 was left with the mother and group 2 was placed in a incubator.
• the first thing group 2 saw when they hatched was Lorenz - they soon started to follow them around = imprinting

Question 4

What is a critical period

Answer 4

Critical period is 12 - 16 hours after a goose is hatched

- if imprinting does not occur in this critical period it will not imprint - its irreversible

Question 5

Findings of Lorenz research

Answer 5

• the geese divided themselves up - one followed natural mother the other followed Lorenz
• imprinting is restricted to a definite period of time (critical period)
• imprinting is similar to attachment in that it binds the young to the caregiver

Question 6

Define innate

Answer 6

Natural behaviour - biological drive to do something- not learnt

Question 7

Ainsworths strange situation aim

Answer 7

Mary ainsworth wanted to test how secure attachments were, she did this with the strange situation observation

Question 8

Caregiver sensitivity’s - name all 4 and define them

Answer 8

— securely attached - infants have mothers who are more sensitive, accepting and cooperative to the needs of a child

• insecure attachment- mothers are unresponsive to crying and less affectionate
• insecure avoidant - mothers are more rejecting, paying less attention to children
• insecure resistant - mothers tended to occupied with routine activities when holding the child