Animal study attachment Flashcards
What are animal studies of attachment?
Research carried out on non-human animal species rather than on humans, either for ethical or practical reasons.
Why are animal studies preferred over human studies in attachment research?
Due to similarity of genes, controlled environment, faster results, shorter life span, and fewer ethical implications.
Who conducted research on imprinting?
Konrad Lorenz in 1952.
What is imprinting?
A form of attachment where offspring follow the first large moving object they encounter.
What did Lorenz do in his imprinting study?
He divided gosling eggs into two batches: one hatched naturally and the other in an incubator where he was the first moving object they saw.
What is the critical period in imprinting?
A specific time frame in a young animal’s life during which imprinting occurs, which can be as brief as a few hours.
What did Lorenz’s research on peacocks demonstrate?
Sexual imprinting, where a peacock raised with tortoises developed mating preferences for tortoises instead of other peacocks.
What was Harry Harlow’s main finding in his 1958 study?
That attachment is not based solely on the feeding bond, but rather on contact comfort.
What were the two types of surrogate mothers used in Harlow’s study?
A hard, wire mother and a soft, towelling mother.
What did Harlow’s research indicate about attachment in rhesus monkeys?
Monkeys spent more time with the towelling mother, indicating that contact comfort was more important than food.
What is one strength of Lorenz’s research?
Support for the concept of imprinting, as shown by Regaling and Vallortgara’s 1995 study with chicks.
What real-world application did Harlow’s research have?
It helped social workers and clinical psychologists understand the importance of bonding experiences in child development.
What is a limitation of generalizing Harlow’s findings to humans?
Rhesus monkeys, while similar to humans, have a more complex brain and behaviors, making generalization difficult.
What is a limitation of generalizing Lorenz’s findings to humans?
The attachment system in mammals is more complex and involves emotional attachment from both the young and the mother.
