Attachment - animal studies Flashcards
who investigated the critical period and the effects of imprinting?
Lorenz
what did Lorenz’s procedures consist of?
divided the goose eggs into 2 groups
-group 1 was left with mother
-group 2 incubated and saw Lorenz first
so it is a independent groups design
what were the IV and DV of Lorenz research?
IV - attachment figure
DV- who they attach to
what were the findings of Lorenz’s research?
group 1 followed mother group 2 followed Lorenz when divided into 2
what conclusions can we make about Lorenz’s research?
- geese attached to Lorenz were affected later in life
- perfomed mating displays to Lorenz
- if geese didn’t form this attachment in critical period- they never would of
what is a strength of Lorenz’s research?
-other research- chicks who imprinted on yellow rubber gloves later tried mating with them as adults - shows animals will imprint on any moving objects during the critical period
what is a criticism of Lorenz’s research? 1
cannot extrapolate - e.g. chicks are mobile from birth humans are not and form more emotional attachments -
what is a criticism of Lorenz’s research? 2
unethical - geese that printed on Lorenz was affected in later life - although we wouldn’t be able to do this study with humans
what is a criticism of Lorenz’s research? 3
imprinting could be reversed - chicks after engaging with own species were able to engage in normal sexual behaviour - Lorenz isn’t entirely accurate and Lorenz over emphasised importance of first attachment
who else did a animal study into attachments?
Harlow (doesn’t support bowlby)
what was harlow’s procedures?
8 newborn monkeys taken form mothers for 165 days. monkeys given a choice of surrogate mothers, one wire and milk and one covered in soft cloth, he recorded amount of time monkey spent with mother and their response when frightened
what were the findings of Harlow’s research?
-monkeys spent most time with cloth mother
-when frightened they clung to cloth mother
long-lasting effects - unable to socialise with other monkeys and mate
what did Harlow conclude about his research?
infants don’t develop attachments to who feeds them but to who offers comfort
what is a criticism of Harlow’s research? 1
methodological issues - heads were different of mothers , one with cloth looked more like a monkey - maybe the monkey spent more time with cloth because it was more attractive not that it offered comfort
what is a criticism of Harlow’s research? 2
cannot extrapolate - we cannot confidently say humans form attachments in the same way monkeys do
