Attachment- Animal Studies

Question 1

Lorenz (1952)

Answer 1

P- 12 goose eggs separated into 2 groups. Six saw mother when hatched, six saw Lorenz.
F- Goslings followed the first moving object they sat within 12-18 hours of hatching (imprinting) and their first bond influenced their later mating preferences (sexual imprinting)

Question 2

Imprinting

Answer 2

The geese formed a bond with the first living (moving) object they saw

Question 3

Sexual imprinting

Answer 3

The geese’s later mating behaviour was oriented towards their attachment figure

Question 4

Irreversibility

Answer 4

Lorenz believed the first bond made could not be broken or replaced

Question 5

Critical period

Answer 5

Lorenz suggested that the first few hours (for geese) was where they must imprint or else they will never form a bond, and in the wild, they wouldn’t survive

Question 6

Strengths of Lorenz (1952)

Answer 6

Real world application- used in farming sheep where rejected lambs are given to other ewes so they form a bond and have a greater chance at survival

Supporting evidence -Guiton et al found that chickens imprinted on a yellow rubber glove (first moving thing they saw)

Question 7

Weaknesses of Lorenz (1952)

Answer 7

Opposing evidence- Guiton et al found that chickens who formed a bond with a rubber glove realised it was futile for mating and changed to prefer other chickens (challenged irreversibility)

Low generalisability- humans are different to birds so difficult to say whether attachment behaviour is the same in humans, who have more complicated emotions