L10 - animal studies

Question 1

what was harlow’s procedure

Answer 1

• one wire mother, one cloth mother
• 8 infant monkeys separated from mother at birth and studied for 165 days
• placed in cage with 2 wire mothers
• 4 monkeys received milk from cloth, 4 monkeys received milk from wire
• time monkeys spent with mothers was measured
• observations to monkeys being frightened by teddy bare and how they copper with exploring a new room of unfamiliar toys

Question 2

what were harlow’s findings

Answer 2

• all 8 monkeys spent most time with cloth mothers
• monkeys who were fed by wire stayed on it to get milk then returned to cloth mother
• when frightened, all monkeys clung to cloth mother
• when playing with new objects, kept one foot on cloth mother
• when in new environment, not confident to explore unless cloth mother was present

Question 3

what were the LT effects of harlow’s monkey study

Answer 3

• developed abnormally: froze or fled when approached by other monkeys
• not normal mating behaviour
• did not cradle their own babies
• if spent time with other monkeys, they could recover but only if this was before they were 3 months old
• more than 3 months with a wire mother had irreversible effects

Question 4

2 strengths of harlow’s monkey study

Answer 4

• implications for theories, comfort is more important than food contradicts learning theory
• highlights implications of early neglect and LT consequences of poor attachment for future relationships, fits maternal deprivation theory

Question 5

2 weaknesses of harlow’s monkey study

Answer 5

• findings can’t be generalised to humans - humans have been proved to be able to recover from early deprivation (romanian orphan studies)
• unethical - monkeys did not i’ve consent, LT emotional harm, traumatised

Question 6

what was Lorenz’s procedure

Answer 6

• investigated imprinting
• split clutch of gosling eggs into two groups
• one group hatched with natural mother, other group hatched in incubator (first moving thing seen was Lorenz)
• marked two groups to distinguish and placed them all together again

Question 7

what were the findings of Lorenz’s imprinting study

Answer 7

• divided, one group followed mother, other group followed Lorenz
• gosling in incubator showed no recognition of natural mother
• process of imprinting is restricted to very definite period of young animal’s life - critical period
• if young animal is not exposed during critical period, the animal will not imprint
• taught goslings how to swim and would return to him when called

Question 8

what were the long-term effects of Lorenz’s imprinting study

Answer 8

• imprinting is irreversible and long-lasting
• one geese which imprinted used to sleep in his bed
• imprinting had an effect on later mate preferences - sexual imprinting
• animals will choose to mate with the same kind of object upon which they were imprinted

Question 9

2 strengths of lorenz’s imprinting study

Answer 9

• imprinting is similar to idea of critical period, window of opportunity for attachments to be formed otherwise negative LT effects
• other studies to support e.g. gutton - chickens exposed to yellow rubber gloves during feeding in first few weeks of life imprinted on gloves

Question 10

2 weaknesses of lorenz’s imprinting study

Answer 10

• imprinting is more reversible. gutton found he could reverse chickens which tried to mate with yellow rubber gloves, after being with their own species they could engage in normal sexual behaviour
• problematic to extrapolate findings from animal studies to attachment in human infants, humans are physiologically different and have other influences so attachment is more complex than in geese