Attachment - Lorenz & Harlow Animal studies Flashcards
What is imprinting?
When an animal ‘attaches’ to a moving thing, usually immediately after they hatch.
What was the procedure for Lorenz study?
Lorenz set up a classic experiment where he divided a clutch of goose eggs.
Half of the eggs hatched with the mother goose in a natural environment whereas the other half hatched in an incubator where the first moving object they saw was Lorenz
What was the findings of Lorenz’s study?
Lorenz found : The incubator group followed him everywhere, whereas the control group followed their mother. When both groups were mixed together the control group continued to follow their mother and the experimental group followed Lorenz (Imprinting)
Lorenz also found a critical period which imprinting needs to take place otherwise the chicks did not attach themselves to a mother figure
What is sexual imprinting?
The idea that imprinting also influences adults mating preference as shown by Lorenz case study where the first moving object a peacock saw was a reptile and as an adult the bird would only direct courtship behaviours to giant tortoises.
What is contact comfort?
The physical and emotional comfort that an infant receives from being close to its mother.
What is a critical period?
The time period where attachments must form if an attachment is to form at all
What was the procedure for Harlow’s study?
Procedure:
- He tested the idea that a soft object serves some function of a mother
- 16 rhesus monkeys
- reared monkeys with a two wire model ‘mothers’
- One condition milk was dispensed by a plain wire mother
- In the other condition milk was dispensed by a cloth-covered mother
What was the findings of Harlow’s study?
Findings:
- Baby monkeys cuddled the soft-object in preference of the wire one and sought comfort from it when frightened regardless of which one dispensed milk
- This shows ‘contact comfort’ was of more importance to the monkey than food when it came to attachment behaviour
What happened to the rhesus monkeys in adulthood?
The early maternal deprivation of the babies had a permanent effect. The ones reared with wire mothers were the most dysfunctional , even those reared with a soft toy as a substitute did not develop normal social behaviour.
They were more aggressive, less sociable , they bred less often
As mothers some of the deprived monkeys neglected their young, attacked their children, even killing them in some cases.
What was the monkeys critical period?
Within 90 days
Strength 1 : Practical application
P: Practical application
E: The research has been applied to childcare practices e.g. midwifes encourage skin to skin contact with mother and babies
E:The research underscores that secure attachments and nurturing environments during early childhood are vital for healthy psychological development. This has led to changes in childcare practices, promoting the idea that emotional care and bonding are essential for a child’s well-being.
L: Harlow’s work has, therefore, profoundly influenced childcare practices, emphasising the importance of addressing both physical and emotional needs to foster holistic development in children.
