LS4 - Animal Attachment Studies

Question 1

Animal Studies

Answer 1

Focussed on early bonds between animal parents and offspring, this will help understand attachment in humans.

Question 2

Imprinting

Answer 2

When a new born baby attaches to the first living thing, during the critical period after birth, if not then they may never form an attachment.

Question 3

Imprinting Study Aim

Answer 3

Lorenz - To investigate mechanisms of imprinting,

Question 4

Imprinting Study Procedure

Answer 4

Lorenz - Split geeese eggs into 2 batches, one hatched by the mother and one by an incubator batch where Lorenz was the first moving objet seen, each baby was marked for their group and Lorenz observed behaviours.

Question 5

Imprinting Study Findings

Answer 5

Lorenz - Immediately after hatching the mother batch followed the mother and the incubator batch Lorenz, and showed no bond to their natural mother. These bonds were irreveresible.

Question 6

Sexual Imprinting

Answer 6

Lorenz - Investigatd imprinting and male adult preferences, birds imprinting on a human would later showed courtship behaviour with humans.

Question 7

Lorenz Strengths

Answer 7

Supporting Studies
Peacock Case Study

Question 8

Lorenz Weaknesses

Answer 8

Dispute Over Imprinting
Lack Of Generalisation

Question 9

Supporting Studies (+)

Answer 9

Studies on other species of birds have supported Lorenz e.g. chicks exposed to yellow rubber gloves for feeding to become imprinting to them.

Question 10

Peacock Case Study (+)

Answer 10

THe first moving objects a peacock saw were giant tortoises and later tried to show courtship behaviour with them.

Question 11

Dispute Over Imprinting (-)

Answer 11

Originally it was irreversible whereas recently it’s suggested it can be reversed after spending time with it’s own species.

Question 12

Lack Of Generalisation (-)

Answer 12

Lorenz’s study was restricted to birds therefore it can be difficult to generalise as mammalian animals may show different characteristics.

Question 13

Learning Theory

Answer 13

Suggests that attachment is formed through food.

Question 14

Rhesus Monkeys Aim

Answer 14

Harlow - To test learning theory by comparing attachment in baby monkeys tv a wire mother with milk compared to a soft towel mother without it.

Question 15

Rhesus Monkeys Procedure

Answer 15

Harlow - 4 conditions: Wire surrogate with milk & soft towel without, soft towel with milk wire without, wire with milk only, soft towel with. milk only.

Question 16

Rhesus Monkey Findings

Answer 16

Harlow - Regardless of milk monkey preferred the towel mothers. Monkey with only wire surrogate showed diarrohea and stress. When frightened they went to soft towel for comfort.

Question 17

Rheesus Monkey Conclusions

Answer 17

Harlow - Rhesus monkeys have on innate need for comfort even when compared to food. Contact comfort is associated with lower levels of stress and a willingness to explore. When put with other monkeys they were scared and attacked them due to stress induced from a lack of comfort.

Question 18

Harlow Strengths

Answer 18

Theoretical Value
Practical Value

Question 19

Harlow Weaknesses

Answer 19

Ethical Issues
Lack Of Genaralisation

Question 20

Theoretical Value (+)

Answer 20

Allowed psychologists to understand human infant attachments, it shows attachment doesn’t occur due to mother figure feeding, it’s due to comfort. It also showed the negative consequences of a bad providing attachment.

Question 21

Practical Value (+)

Answer 21

It helped social workers understand risk factors in child neglect and how to prevent it. It also works directly when investigating the care of captive mkoneys in zoos etc.

Question 22

Ethical Issues (-)

Answer 22

The study can’t be done on humans, so can it be done with monkeys? It created long lasting emotional harm & left a lack of development and made it diffiuclt to form attachments.

Question 23

Lack Of Generalisation (-)

Answer 23

Human behaviour is governed by conscious behaviour & we aren’t able to attain how animals attain decision, so we should seek confirmation by investigating humans too.