Attachment 2 | Animal studies of attachment Flashcards
AO1 What was Lorenz’s aim in his animal study of attachment
Lorenz aimed to investigate the mechanisms of imprinting where young animals attach to the first moving object they see.
AO1 What was Lorenz’s procedure in his study of geese
Lorenz divided a clutch of goose eggs into two groups one hatched with the mother goose and the other hatched in an incubator where Lorenz was the first moving object they saw.
AO1 What did Lorenz find in his study of imprinting
The incubator group followed Lorenz everywhere while the control group followed their mother suggesting imprinting occurs during a critical period after hatching.
AO1 What did Lorenz conclude about attachment in his animal study
Lorenz concluded that imprinting is an innate instinctive process that occurs within a critical period and has long-term effects on future mate preferences.
AO1 What was Harlow’s aim in his animal study of attachment
Harlow aimed to investigate the role of comfort and food in the formation of attachment using rhesus monkeys.
AO1 What was Harlow’s procedure in his study of rhesus monkeys
Harlow separated infant monkeys from their mothers and provided them with two surrogate mothers a wire mother that provided food and a cloth mother that provided comfort.
AO1 What did Harlow find regarding the surrogate mothers
The monkeys spent most of their time clinging to the cloth mother for comfort and only went to the wire mother when hungry.
AO1 What did Harlow conclude about attachment from his study
Harlow concluded that comfort and security are more important than food in the formation of attachment bonds.
AO3 What is a limitation of Lorenz and Harlow’s animal studies regarding generalisability
The use of non-human animals limits generalisability as human attachment is more complex involving culture and language reducing external validity.
AO3 What ethical issue is linked to Harlow’s study
Harlow’s monkeys suffered long-term emotional harm showing social withdrawal and poor parenting highlighting major ethical concerns.
AO3 What is a strength of Harlow’s study in terms of application
Harlow’s research has practical applications in improving childcare practices emphasising the importance of emotional care.
AO3 What is a strength of Lorenz’s study supported by other research
Guiton found that chicks imprinted onto gloves and later showed courtship behaviour supporting Lorenz’s idea of imprinting during a critical period.
AO3 What is a challenge to Lorenz’s idea of imprinting being irreversible
Guiton also found that the effects of imprinting could be reversed suggesting imprinting may not be as permanent as Lorenz proposed.
