Attachment : Animal studies of attachment Flashcards
Which researchers conducted studies with animals to research attachment?
Lorenz
Harlow
What phenomenon did Lorenz research?
Imprinting
What is meant by ‘imprinting’?
Where animals attach to the first moving object/person they see directly after birth
Describe the procedure of Lorenz’s research
Lorenz showed that imprinting occurred in a clutch of goose eggs:
- 1/2 were hatched with their mother in their natural environment
- the other 1/2 were hatched in an incubator - these geese attached to + followed Lorenz after seeing him as the first moving object after birth
What were Lorenz’s findings?
- Imprinting : animals attach to the first moving object / person they see directly after birth
- Imprinting must occur within a critical period (first 30 months of life) - after this attachment is not possible and the consequences of never forming an attachment are irreversible
What is sexual imprinting?
Where animals attach to + show sexual behaviours towards the first living object/animal they see directly after birth
What case study did Lorenz use to show sexual imprinting?
Lorenz reported the case of a peacock who was born surrounded by turtles + then ended up only wanting to mate with turtles in later life
What are two limitations of Lorenz’s research?
❌ His findings cannot be generalised from birds to humans - attachments in humans are very different + more complex
- eg attachment in humans is reciprocal and humans can form attachments at any time during their lives + at a greater emotional intensity
This means that Lorenz’s findings have low ecological validity as they can’t be generalised beyond the research setting in which they were found.
❌ Sexual imprinting may not be as permanent as Lorenz suggested
- eg Guiton et al showed that chickens who had imprinted on washing up gloves did eventually end up preferring to mate with other chickens, despite initial imprinting
This means that imprinting is not as important in the formation of animal attachments as Lorenz implied.
What did Harlow research?
The importance of contact comfort
Describe Harlow’s procedure
Harlow researched the importance of contact comfort in attachments:
- he worked with 16 baby monkeys and 2 wire model ‘mothers’
- the monkeys had been put in cages from infancy
- Harlow measured the amount of time the monkeys spent with each of the wire model mothers and observed what happened when the monkeys were scared
Describe Harlow’s findings
- Harlow found that when the monkeys were scared, they would seek comfort form the mother covered in cloth, regardless of which mother dispensed milk
- Harlow also reported developmental issues associated with the monkeys who had been deprived of a real mother, every the ones who could seek comfort from the cloth covered mother. The maternally deprived monkeys were aggressive towards their own children, less skilled at mating and less sociabke
What conclusion did Harlow’s research lead to?
Contact comfort is more important than food in the development of attachments
What is a strength of Harlow’s research?
✅ It has significant real-life application, especially in zoos + in the care of animals in shelters
- eg his research demonstrated the importance of attachment figures + contact comfort in the development of the animal
This helps us to ensure animals in zoos are given the opportunity to form attachments to ensure healthy development
This means Harlow’s research is useful as it has practical value
What is a limitation of Harlow’s research?
❌ It presents some ethical issues
- eg significant psychological harm was inflicted upon the monkeys which led to difficulties forming attachments in the future
